Crocs head further south

Saltwater crocodiles could start surfing their way down from the Kimberley to the Pilbara on a more regular basis, according to a new WA crocodile management plan.

The updated plan was released last month and suggested an expanding crocodile population in the north could lead to "a rise in the number of resident saltwater crocodiles along the Pilbara coast".

Department of Parks and Wildlife West Kimberley senior operations officer Dave Woods said since crocodiles became a protected species in the 1970s their numbers had increased in the Broome area.

"The crocodiles are spreading out of their natural range," he said.

"What we normally find is if a particular habitat has a dominant crocodile and a smaller one tries to move in, the large male crocodile will obviously dominate and the smaller crocodile will have to go find their own habitat to exist in."

What this means is as the population continues to grow in the north, more crocodiles could start appearing further south along their natural range, which goes as far down as the Ashburton River which flows into the Exmouth Gulf.

In response to the increased population in the Kimberly, DPaW has set up two risk mitigation areas near Broome and Kununurra where any problem crocodiles would be caught and relocated to the Malcolm Douglas Wilderness and Wildlife Park.

Mr Woods said if a crocodile could not be secured, it would be euthanised as a last resort.

Saltwater crocodiles have been spotted as far south as Coral Bay in 2009.

More recent encounters have included a spotting in Onslow in 2012 and numerous occurrences of crocodiles appearing near Port Hedland and Pretty Pool from 2010 to 2012.

Mr Woods said in the future if there was significant enough high risk to the public from crocodiles in a place like Port Hedland, there would be a possibility of creating another risk mitigation area.

"One of the messages we're trying to get out is there's still a reasonable amount of complacency," he said.

Mr Woods said crocodile behaviours were changing and as both a territorial and opportunistic animal, people should not take them lightly.

"The amount of sightings we've had (in the Kimberley) have jumped up," he said.

"Crocodiles can get comfortable with boats in the area ... biting propellers."

Saltwater crocodiles are often found in mangrove-lined creeks and rocky headlands.