Damian “Wildman” Duffy has amassed around 1.8 million social media followers who watch his exploits as he comes up against the prehistoric reptiles of northern Australia.
But it is not just crocs in the wild — Duffy is also wild about new plans to more tightly regulate pet crocodile ownership in the Northern Territory.
“Crocodile pet ownership goes hand in hand with conservation,” he said.
“The more people learn about these animals and their importance in the wild, in their natural ecosystems, the more they’re going to want to conserve them, the more they’ll appreciate them.”
In the Northern Territory, which Duffy calls home, the government has released a series of new proposed guidelines which it says will improve oversight of private ownership of the apex predators.
Damian Duffy says permit fees will send a message that owners have “a responsibility financially to do the right thing”. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)
The proposed new rules include the introduction of a $299 permit fee for people to own a croc.
Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said the government wanted to “ensure there is responsible crocodile ownership” in the NT, where 63 residents are currently licensed to own pet crocs.
The plan also includes a requirement for new owners to have their animals undergo a procedure to receive identification markings, as well as upgrades to enclosure standards.
Owners whose crocodiles escape and have to be recaptured by NT government rangers will also face penalties under the proposal, starting at $300 and increasing by $100 for each additional hour.
In the wild, saltwater crocodiles can grow to several metres long and weigh upwards of a tonne. (ABC News: Jayden O’Neill)
Palmerston crocodile owner Andrew Fahey, who owns a young saltie nicknamed Louis Vuitton — “because if he bites me again he might end up as a handbag” — said he believed the new regulations were sensible.
“If the general public can see that there are conditions for owning these type of animals — if it’s not too over the top — I think it’s a good thing,” he said.
Adventurer Duffy said he also welcomed the new regulations.
“When you put a monetary value to something, you’re going to go, ‘OK, you can have a pet crocodile, but it’s a $299 crocodile permit fee’ and go … I have a responsibility financially to do the right thing,” he said.
New era in pet croc ownership
The new regulations come just over a year since pet crocodile ownership was almost scrapped altogether.
Andrew Fahey says regulation is “a good thing” so long as it’s “not too over the top”. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)
The former Labor government had agreed, under a new crocodile management plan released in April last year, to stop granting permits for people to be able to keep crocs at home.
The Country Liberal Party vowed to overturn the policy ahead of last year’s election, and did so after forming government in a landslide in August.
The proposed guidelines will be open for public feedback until December 12.