Croc tracker goes high-tech

A Massey University researcher is using satellite technology to track a 4.2m male crocodile, named Sputnik, in Australia's Northern Territory.

Bindi Thomas from Wellington had help from Australian wildlife workers to fit a satellite tracking device to the crocodile in the Adelaide River, south of Darwin, five weeks ago.

She will use the information in her studies for her masters degree in natural resource management and has set up a website where the public can watch the reptile's movements,

Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Minister Marion Scrymgour said it was hoped the study would give researchers an insight into the behaviour and movement of estuarine crocodiles, particularly problem crocodiles that move into Darwin Harbour and the upstream reaches of rivers.

"The satellite transmitter is attached to the crocodile's back and transmits a signal to a satellite, recording the animal's location every four days ... This process will occur over 12 months," she said.

Last year, Northern Territory rangers caught 218 crocodiles in Darwin Harbour and 10 more in the Katherine River.

The estuarine crocodile is a shy, semi-aquatic animal that can cause serious harm to anyone who gets close.

Its habitat is coastal and inland waterways in the northern and eastern parts of Australia as well as Southeast Asia.

A protected species in Australia since 1971, their numbers in the Northern Territory have risen from 3000 to 70,000, increasing their range and their toll on both humans and livestock.

But the crocodile's aggressiveness and its hostile environment have limited conventional research through direct observation and radio tracking.

The satellite transmitter was fitted to the anaesthetised crocodile using a sterilised drill and stainless steel wire to attach it to four scales on the neck.

- NZPA