Howard the Saltwater Crocodile
The Root Problem
To put this into perspective, the root of the issue erupted due to a complaint from a single resident. Once a complaint is being made, the authorities will have to take action according to the local law. Therefore, one solution would be to raise awareness among local residents living in the area about the “dos and don’ts” in order to live harmoniously with the crocodiles. After all, it is the home to both the Australians and the crocodiles.
The Solution
To prevent a similar incident from happening in the future, Robert can identify places in Australia with a higher chance of human-wildlife conflict and work with local authorities by focusing on developing interventions within communities.
Once identified an existing or potential human-wildlife conflict, one strategy would be to erect prompts, such as signs, around the area of concern. For example, signs can include warnings such as ‘Stay clear of Crocodiles, Stay away from water’ and ‘Watch out for crocodiles, Stay clear of the water edge’.
Another strategy would be to communicate and educate the residents on the behaviours of crocodiles and enhance their understanding of the reptile. This can assuage the fear among residents who have a lack of knowledge towards them. The fear for their safety will decrease when they have a greater understanding of the crocodiles.
The implementation of a community-centric intervention can reduce the probability of a complaint being made against animals if local residents have a greater knowledge of the animals they are co-existing with. An initiative such as this could have prevented the incident with Howard from happening. Hence, this is an area where Robert could consider exploring to spread the message of wildlife conservation moving forward.