Aussie developer pledges money to combat croc problem at Cairns tourist spots

A fed-up Aussie developer has pledged up to 1 million Australian dollars (760,000 U.S. dollars) a year to fund the relocation of crocodiles away from popular tourist areas, local media reported on Friday.

AAB Group managing director Adrean Boyd accused the Queensland state government of treating the issue of crocodiles in the area lightly and feared that a fatal accident may just be around the corner if the matter was not addressed soon.

Boyd had pledged the cash after talks with Cairns Regional Council with his intention having been passed on to the state government soon after.

However, government agencies and officials say there was no formal record of the offer.

Boyd said the money would be spent relocating crocodiles to farms and by employing qualified rangers to carry out the work.

"The state government crocodile count, as far as I'm concerned, is a load of rubbish. They need to be spending money on removal because we know there are crocs there," Boyd said.

However, a spokeswoman for Queensland's Department of Environment said 115 crocodiles had been successfully removed from Cairns since the introduction of the "Cairns Crocodile Management Plan" in 2013.

Source : XINHUA