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Thanks due to a wild character

By Barry Cohen - posted Wednesday, 6 September 2006


Crocodiles are dangerous, particularly to those who, having watched Irwin, believe that if he can do it, why can't they? It is also well to remember that since the cessation of the export of crocodile skins taken from the wild, the croc population has exploded.

They are much bigger than they were 30 years ago, too. The risks, therefore, are greater.

My other concern regarding Irwin's presentations is that the conservation of Australian wildlife is not show business.

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Much of the work being done by conservationists, be they private ventures or government institutions, is often difficult, tedious and painstaking. It may take decades to achieve a result, and when successful it is not always apparent to the naked eye.

Mostly this is because so much of Australian wildlife is nocturnal and by definition rare wildlife is difficult to see. The bilby, the bridled nailtailed wallaby and the northern hairy-nosed wombat are but a few that come to mind.

Those who are working in these fields need the assistance of both the public and private sector without having to turn to vaudeville to get that support.

Irwin's great contribution to saving Australian wildlife is that he got a lot of people involved who, in the normal course of events, would not have been interested.

OK, so he was a bit over the top but it worked and for that reason alone Australia owes him an enormous debt of gratitude.

To coin a phrase, we shall not see his like again.

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First published in The Australian on September 5, 2006.



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About the Author

Barry Cohen was Minister for the Arts, Heritage and Environment in the Hawke Government from 1983 to 1987. He currently runs an animal sanctuary in Calga, NSW.

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