By Jack McKay, ABC
People could be fined up to $7000 for accidentally feeding crocodiles in Queensland. Photo: DAVID GRAY / AFP
Queenslanders who unintentionally feed a crocodile by leaving scraps at a jetty or campsite could be by hit with a A$6400 (NZ$7092) fine under new rules brought in by the state government.
Penalties for disturbing or deliberately feeding crocodiles are also more than quadrupling to above A$25,000 as part of a crackdown that the government says is about boosting safety.
Under the reforms, which have already come into effect, it will be illegal to "unintentionally" feed a crocodile by discarding food in a way that attracts them to a public place.
It could include leaving behind fish frames or bait at a jetty and pontoon, or discarding food scraps at a camping area.
People who breach the new rule could be given an on-the-spot fine of A$483, but the maximum penalty that can be issued by a court is A$6452.
Environment Minister Leanne Linard, who will announce the law changes on Tuesday, said discarding scraps made it "really easy for the croc to find food".
"They become habituated, they expect it, they hang around places like a boat ramp or a jetty or a pontoon," she said.
"What the rangers tell me … is that if they're then not fed, and there's some sort of contact with a human, they can become more aggressive expecting to be fed.
"We don't want to see that sort of behaviour. We don't want to see crocs loitering around public places."
The government has also made it an offence to knowingly stay close to a crocodile on land, with an on-the-spot fine of A$806 or a maximum court-imposed penalty of A$16,130.
Changes 'about public safety'
Penalties for existing offences also are increasing significantly.
The maximum fine for disturbing a crocodile or deliberately feeding one is climbing from A$6452 to A$26,615.
The on-the-spot fine for both offences is also increasing from A$483 to A$2580.
The government has also hiked the maximum court-imposed penalty for interfering with a crocodile trap from A$19,356 to A$26,615.
Linard said the changes were focused on public safety.
"One thing that is always put to me across the community is that people really feel that taking a risk with these sorts of animals and crocs endangers others," she said.
"People take a very dim view of that."
The government says people should expect to find crocodiles in waterways from Rockhampton north.
- ABC