Giant Crocodile Brought to Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo, Upsetting Indigenous and Conservation Groups

Old Faithful — the crocodile once captured and made famous by the late Steve Irwin — has been relocated to Australia Zoo, sparking mixed reactions across Australia.

On November 3, the zoo shared a video featuring a classic clip of Irwin catching Old Faithful during The Crocodile Hunter series. The post explained that the crocodile had recently been declared a “problem crocodile” in Far North Queensland and was brought to the zoo for a permanent home.

“It’s time we respect crocs’ homes and let them thrive undisturbed in their natural habitats,” read the zoo’s caption. “Avoiding them is simple — stay out of the water and away from the water’s edge, don’t leave food lying around the banks, and you’ll never have a problem with a crocodile.”

The message continued, “We couldn’t stand by and let him be sent to a crocodile farm… so we brought him to Australia Zoo to give the big guy a forever home. We know Steve would be over the moon that we could have him here, in the sanctuary that he built, safe and sound to live out the rest of his days! 🥹”

However, not everyone has welcomed the move. Alwyn Lyall, chair of the Rinyirru (Lakefield) Aboriginal Corporation, told The Guardian that he was “pissed off” to discover that such an “important and totemic” animal had been taken so far from its traditional owners. According to Lyall, the community was “very upset” and had not been notified before the removal.

“This crocodile comes from up here in Cape York. A zoo is the wrong place for that animal,” Lyall said. “To remove him over the weekend without any notice or notification to us traditional owners, or anything – it’s like a thief in the night sort of rubbish. We never gave the authority for that to happen.” He added that a closer facility in Babinda would have allowed the owners better access.

To compound the issue, the Environmental Defenders Office — representing the advocacy group Community Representation of Crocodiles (CROC) — had requested a statement of reasons for Old Faithful’s removal back in January. According to the organization’s co-founder, Amanda French, officials requested an extension but then allegedly “fast-tracked the paperwork and transport logistics.” She suggested the move appeared to be a “cover-up for mistakes” in a process lacking both transparency and cultural authority.

“It’s incredibly sad that a crocodile that survived decades in the wild — swimming enormous distances, feeding on whatever he wants, mating with whomever he wants — is now sentenced to a lifetime in captivity for tourists’ amusement,” French told The Guardian, adding that the crocodile had become “a great commercial opportunity” for the zoo.