🐊 Bob and Terri are beefing with Bob and Robbie over killing crocodiles.
Australia Zoo royalty and one of Queensland’s most eccentric political dynasties are clashing over how to manage crocodiles in the Sunshine State.
⚔️ The Katters want culls and safaris
The Katter family — long-time champions of crocodile culls — says it’s time for Queensland to start culling crocs and allow safari-style hunts.
Robbie Katter, son of Bob Katter and leader of Katter’s Australian Party, is pushing state legislation that would legalise crocodile culls and open the door to trophy hunting experiences in Far North Queensland.
He says crocodile numbers in Queensland — estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 — are too high, and that regional communities live in fear.
🔬 The science says culling doesn’t work
A study from Charles Darwin University looking at similar programs in the Northern Territory found culling was ineffective and expensive — casting doubt on whether the Katter plan would actually work.
🦖 The Irwins are furious
Terri Irwin came out swinging last week, calling the proposal a return to “the dark and destructive days prior to the 1970s” and backing her position with research.
Then Bob Irwin — Steve’s dad and a longtime conservationist — went fully off-leash in an interview with the Courier-Mail:
“He’s a dickhead,” anti-cull Bob said about pro-cull Bob. “Yeah, put it on the record … and you can actually tell him who said it as well.”
“We’ll always get idiots, it can’t be avoided, that’s just humans,” anti-cull Bob added.
He also defended Terri Irwin, saying she “knows what she is talking about.”
🎭 The Katters hit back
Robbie Katter responded by accusing the Irwins of being southern-based “entertainers” who don’t understand the realities of life in the far north.
But that’s a tough sell — yes the Irwins are based on the Sunshine Coast, but their whole brand is working with dangerous wildlife throughout Queensland.
📍 Local fears are real — but so is croc education
Some northern Queensland councils do support stronger crocodile management, and local fears around croc safety aren’t new.
But across Queensland, education and awareness remain the preferred options. Programs encouraging people to be “Crocwise” are widely promoted by the state government.