Latest news with #Lakefield
ABC News
27-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Crocodile 'housing crisis' inspires sanctuary in Far North Queensland
A potential "housing crisis" for crocodiles has inspired one Far North Queensland grazier to build a croc sanctuary on the family farm. Removals of problem crocs from the wild have been on an upward trend since 2020 and hit a record high last year, according to data from the Queensland government. Crocodiles can live for more than 120 years in captivity and cannot legally be killed for commercial purposes once taken into captivity. So, if these trends continue, where will they all live? Cattle farmer Jesse Crampton has been busily digging out containment ponds and erecting sturdy fences on his property in Far North Queensland for the past year. The Babinda-based grazier has also worked with crocodiles for more than a decade in zoological, farming and management roles. He admits building a small croc sanctuary directly next to a herd of big, juicy bovines is rather unconventional. The "icons" he refers to are crocs longer than 4 metres which, under conservation laws, can only be placed with a registered crocodile farm or zoo that agrees to use them for education about crocodile conservation. "They can't technically be used for commercial use, so they can't be destroyed for farming aspects," he said. "So a lot of the croc farms, once they've got their stock, they've got nowhere to put these large animals." Mr Crampton already has one such tenant on the books — a "big icon fella" trapped at Lakefield on Cape York after continually wandering into people's campsites. "This animal could be 80 years old and survived that commercial shooting era. "He'd have a few stories to tell — so he was quite a significant animal for us to get for our first crocodile." In 2024, a record 77 crocodiles were removed from Queensland waters — up from 48 the previous year. Already, 37 crocs have been taken from the wild so far this year. "Our priority is to rehome all crocodiles that have been removed from the wild," a Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) spokesperson said. "Every crocodile we have offered to a suitable farm or zoo has been rehomed. "Only when environmental issues prevent us from setting traps, or animal welfare issues prevent us from being able to rehome them in suitable facilities, crocodiles are humanely euthanised." The department has not yet revealed to the ABC how many have been euthanised in the past five years. However, not everyone is convinced that the rehoming practice can continue forever. John Lever has been operating Koorana Crocodile Farm near Rockhampton since 1981 and has billeted more wild-caught crocs than he cares to count. "They're going to run out of space," he warned. "Farmers can't just take them all on. "I caught a big one up near Airlie Beach in Kelsey Creek — that was 4.8m long when I caught it in 1986, and it lived until 2020. "You get a big croc like that and think it might only live for a few years — and then it lives for another 34 years." Mr Lever intended to keep trying to find space for new crocs, but said taking on such long-term tenants was not sustainable. He predicted a day may come when "hard decisions" must be made between rehoming and euthanasing animals that interact with humans. "You can pen them in smaller pens and give them all their biological needs — feed them once a week, and give them enough room to turn around," he said. "But they're an isolated animal then. "They're just living on their own for no real purpose. "There are plenty of them out there, so it's not an issue of trying to save the last few crocs to get breeding colonies going. "I just don't think you can look after every crocodile." The Queensland Crocodile Management Plan says Queensland's estuarine crocodile population is estimated to be between 20,000 and 30,000 "non-hatchlings" — meaning greater than 60cm in length. Further north at Bloomsbury, Bredl's Wildlife Farm croc trainer Zebulon Bredl said he had received about a dozen calls in the past month with offers of new wild-caught crocs. "We're turning down a fair few," he said. "If you take two, you'd be lucky to get one or two females. "And as soon as those males hit 2.5m, you're looking at individual ponds because they start fighting." Mr Bredl said operators were not informed of a crocodile's sex before deciding whether to accept it onto their property. "That's an added risk — and if they did that, everyone would just hold off and only accept the females for breeding." Mr Bredl argued Queensland should follow the Northern Territory's model of wild egg harvesting to slow population growth. "We're nearly full — we've got 18 big fellas over 2.5m here at the moment," he said. "We can start putting in more infrastructure, but we don't need it and it's all an expense." Regulatory barriers to starting a new croc farm or sanctuary would have most people running for the hills — but not Mr Crampton. "It certainly deflated the bubble a few times," he said. The sanctuary will not produce meat or skins, but Mr Crampton has the required permits to pair crocs so fertilised eggs can be sold to commercial breeders. The facility's chief source of income will come through group training. "I've been training particularly Indigenous ranger groups to be able to manage crocs, how to handle and how to work safely alongside crocodiles," he said. Mr Crampton did not believe his modest operation would solve any future crocodile real estate crunch outright. But he was keen to play his part. "I've still got a long way to go with the croc compound, but I've got four enclosures up and running, and three crocs at the moment," he said. "It's not going to be a large-scale operation, but over time I might be able to make a dozen enclosures and house some icons." And as for the neighbours? They can rest easy in the knowledge that the barriers are very sturdy. "I mean in our cane drains and creeks and rivers and all that, there's crocs — so [the cattle] are pretty croc savvy," Mr Crampton said. "But of course I've got the crocs on the other side of the fence, so I don't have too much of an issue."
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rock Icon, 79, Plays His ‘Favorite' Deep Cut For First Time In 42 Years
is known for many classic songs, which have become part of rock's history. His early days in Buffalo Springfield gave us "For What It's Worth" and "Mr. Soul." His tenure in Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young yielded "Teach Your Children," "Our House," and "Ohio." As a solo artist, Young has made music for generations with such endearing classics as "Heart of Gold," "Old Man," "Rockin' In The Free World," and "Harvest Moon." But the outspoken 79-year-old's favorite song is not one you'd expect, mainly because he hasn't played live for over four decades—until now. On May 23, Young performed a benefit show at Lakefield College in Ontario, Canada. About halfway through the show, he played "My Boy," a song from his 1985 album, Old Ways. It's a song Neil hasn't performed since 1983, according to Stereogum. The mid-80s country album produced three singles, none of which were "My Boy," making it a deep cut that only die-hard Neil Young fans would know about. Thankfully, a fan shared footage of Neil playing the song from the 2025 concert on YouTube. "Practicing for Lakefield, I was playing 'My Boy,' [and] thinking about my own dad," wrote Young in a blog post before the show. The rock icon said that his father, journalist and novelist Scott Young, who died in 2005, "must have heard this song." "My dad was a great guy and Zeke is a wonderful son," continued Young. "I think 'My Boy' is my favorite recording of all the ones I have done." Neil wrote how much he loved pedal steel guitar player Ben Keith and pianist Spooner Oldman's playing on the song, "as well as all the others on it. They are soulful musicians. I have really been so lucky!" Young said that the benefit show would help pay for refurbishing the Canadian Heritage Farmhouse on Lakefield Campus. "It was built in 1900 along the lakeshore, and we will be bringing it back so all the fortunate kids who come to Lakefield College from around the world can appreciate the wonderful Canadian feeling," he wrote. Young and his wife, Daryl Hannah, visited the school's Northcote campus last fall, per The Peterborough Examiner, and fell in love with its commitment to sustainability-focused, hands-on Icon, 79, Plays His 'Favorite' Deep Cut For First Time In 42 Years first appeared on Parade on May 25, 2025
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Neil Young Performs Eighties Deep Cut ‘My Boy' for First Time in 42 Years
Neil Young played his first full show of the year Friday night at a special benefit for Ontario's Lakefield College School on the campus grounds. It was a frigid, rainy night, and tickets cost upwards of $1,500, with all the money going towards the restoration of a 116-year-old cottage near the school. Unlike his upcoming Love Earth Tour with the Chromes Hearts, this was a solo, acoustic show. The 18-song set was heavy on standards like 'Comes a Time,' 'Sugar Mountain,' 'Heart of Gold,' 'Helpless,' 'I Am a Child' and 'After the Gold Rush.' But there were a few surprises, like 'Love/Art Blues,' which he hadn't played in public since 2008. He also broke out the 1988 CSNY super deep cut 'Name of Love' for the first time since 2014. More from Rolling Stone Neil Young Stands With Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen in Trump's Musician War: 'You Work for Us' Farm Aid to Celebrate 40th Anniversary in Minneapolis Neil Young Takes Direct Aim at Tesla on New Single 'Let's Roll Again' The most notable moment took place midway through the night when he strapped on a banjo and played the Old Ways obscurity 'My Boy' for the first time since the 1983 Solo Trans tour. It's a sweet, loving ode to Zeke Young, his eldest song. 'Why are you growin' up so fast/My boy?,' he sings. 'Oh, you'd better take your time/Why are you growin' up so fast/My son?' Hours before the concert, Young posted a vintage photo of himself with Zeke as a toddler alongside his late father, sportswriter Scott Young. 'Practicing for Lakefield, I was playing 'My Boy,' thinking about my own dad,' he wrote. 'I knew he must have heard this song. My dad was a great guy and Zeke is a wonderful son. I think 'My Boy' is my favorite recording of all the ones I have done. I love Ben Keith and Spooner Oldham's playing, as well as the others on it. They are soulful musicians. I have been so lucky!' The show ended with 'Old Man,' but a printed set list on the stage revealed that he originally planned on coming back out for solo electric renditions of 'Throw Your Hatred Down' and 'Rockin' in the Free World.' It's unclear why he cut the last two numbers, but the miserable weather likely played a role. (Young largely refuses to play indoor gigs due to Covid concerns. The sole indoor date of his upcoming Love Earth Tour is July 13 at the Adidas Arena in Paris.) The Love Earth Tour kicks off June 18 in Rättvik, Sweden. The American leg begins Aug. 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Young hasn't revealed exactly what he'll be playing on the tour, but expect several selections from his upcoming album, Talkin' to the Trees. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
