UQ continues Crocodile Hunter’s legacy

The legacy of Steve Irwin lives on at The University of Queensland, two years after the Crocodile Hunter’s tragic death on September 4.

The University last year honoured Steve’s tireless work with a posthumous Steve Irwin Adjunct Professorship in UQ's School of Integrative Biology, accepted by wife Terri Irwin.

UQ continues to work with Australia Zoo, the Queensland Park and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and the Australian Research Council (ARC) to monitor the behaviour of the threatened species.

Friend and colleague UQ Professor Craig Franklin, within the School of Integrative Biology, recently had travelled to the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve in Far North Queensland to help capture and tag 15 large estuarine crocodiles.

“Steve Irwin made a significant contribution to crocodile research in Australia and in particular helping to develop new methods to track these often wary animals through remote sensing technology, ” he said.

“I am extremely pleased that we are able to continue his legacy, which would not be possible without the large commitment of resources provided by Terri Irwin and Australia Zoo.”

Professor Franklin worked with a team of 20 experts from Australia Zoo on the 135,000-hectare Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, 60km north-east of Weipa on Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula.

He said small transmitters were surgically inserted beneath the crocodile’s skin to allow for data collection and tracking of the animals, which continue to be threatened by illegal hunting.

“This long term study will provide us with detailed knowledge of the behaviour and habitat use of these enigmatic animals that is presently not known,” he said.

Professor Franklin said the Reserve had no less than 35 distinct ecosystems, providing habitats for flora and fauna that had possibly not been previously identified.

“The reserve borders the Wenlock and Ducie Rivers and the Wenlock River has the greatest biodiversity of fish in Australia,” he said.

Professor Franklin, who is an Australian Professorial Fellow, said he was pleased to be able to continue the work begun six years ago with Steve Irwin funded by Australia Zoo and an ARC-linkage grant, and will travel to the Reserve again in November.

Media: Professor Craig Franklin (07 3365 2355, c.franklin@uq.edu.au) or Eliza Plant at UQ Communications (07 3365 2619)