Category Archives: headline

headline

'There's always danger': Inside a croc hunter's day job

Going head-to-snout with one of the planet's deadliest predators is usually the plot of a horror movie – but for the Northern Territory government's Crocodile Management Unit, it's a Thursday. Literally.

Last Thursday was the day the team set out to see if they could track, trap and transport a massive 4.5-metre saltwater crocodile that had been getting a little too close to the Nauiyu community on the Daly River, in the Katherine region of the Top End.

The team, led by veteran croc wrangler Tom Nichols and aided by police, set a trap in the river on Thursday – and by Saturday the big beast was on its way to a crocodile farm.

Mr Nichols told nine.com.au that even though everybody involved in the situation was well-trained, there was no guarantee of safety when coming up against this kind of apex predator.

"There's always an element of danger," he said.

"You have to be careful, but everyone's trained and they know what they have to do."

Mr Nichols has been tracking and trapping crocodiles in the NT for 40 years, becoming part of the Crocodile Management Unit when it was established 23 years ago.

"That's when it became a full-time job," he said.

And full-time experts are needed, given how the nature of Mr Nichols' job has changed over the years.

When he began the trade, the goal was to reintroduce crocodiles to areas where they had been hunted out.

But since salties were made a protected species in the 1970s, the population has steadily risen to booming heights, meaning the focus now was on making sure there wasn't any dangerous "interaction" between the deadly reptiles and people.

Hence the need to trap the 4.5-metre monster that had been lingering around the community.

Mr Nichols said it was the biggest they'd caught so far this year.

"The Daly River has the highest concentration of crocodiles, and the floods during the wet season bring the rivers up closer to the communities," he said.

"They were getting concerned and called the police, and the police called us."

The team does provide training, particularly to Parks and Wildlife employees.

But there's still no substitute for the experts in a dangerous situation – and after 40 years of tangling with some of the world's biggest predators, Mr Nichols still wouldn't have it any other way.

"I still get excited to get up in the morning with this job," he said.

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't like it, so I must like it."

He urged people in the NT to be "croc-wise" all year around, especially during the wet season – keep an eye on your surroundings near water, and only swim in places determined to be crocodile-safe.

headline

New Court Annex to speed St. Kitts and Nevis administration of justice

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — The newly constructed Annex of the Sir Lee L. Moore Judicial and Legal Complex will be outfitted with furniture, appliances, and other amenities to make it functional following the completion of construction in late December. As an annex of the Sir Lee L. Moore Judicial and Legal Complex, the additional court will help in the speedy administration of Justice.

The two-story building will house a third Magistrate’s Court Chamber in District A, a court-connected Mediation Centre, and a Law Library. When fully operational, the services available in the Annex will significantly strengthen the administration of justice.

Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, the Honourable Vincent Byron Jr., conducted a brief walk-through of the building on January 12. He said that the rule of law is the glue that holds a strong democratic society together and that St. Kitts and Nevis continues to receive high grades as it relates to the administration of justice.

“We are proud that under this administration we have been able to consistently give to our people the confidence that they are living in a society that is just, one in which everyone has access to justice and can get their grievances settled,” said Hon. Byron.

The building boasts many modern features including: closed-circuit cameras for security purposes, and will enable virtual court hearings. People will also be able to connect to several online legal systems such as LexisNexis to conduct research.

Byron commended the contractor B. C. Audain and Associates for the excellent work in constructing the building.

“Mr. Audain has produced a building that we all should be proud of,” said Hon. Byron. “It’s one which we feel very, very good about and is the type of public building that we need to establish ourselves as a small, modern, young democracy.”

The post New Court Annex to speed St. Kitts and Nevis administration of justice appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Taiwan 2021 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Scholarship applications now open

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Academic Scholarships for those seeking to study at Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees in Taiwan are now open. Interested persons 18-years-and-older, who possess high school diplomas or above, should fill the following forms and submit them to the Ministry of Education on or before Monday,
March 1, 2021.

1. A completed application form(s);
2. A photocopy of the Passport Biodata page;
3. A photocopy of highest-level educational achievements (complete with transcripts); and
4. Documents to certify their application and acceptance to a Mandarin Language Training Center *For persons applying for degree programmes taught in Chinese, documents should be provided to show application and acceptance to a Mandarin Language Training Center, and a copy of transcript or certificate of the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) for level 2 or above.

Applicants are asked to take note that incomplete documents and late applications will not be accepted and/or processed. Award of scholarship decisions is made by a joint committee in Taiwan. Should interested persons or applicants have any questions, they should contact the Embassy of Taiwan at 869-465-2421, or visit the following websites for guidance:

https://taiwanscholarship.moe.gov.tw/web/scholarship.aspx# for Documents download https://www.studyintaiwan.org/ for English Programme List https://www.mofa.gov.tw/en for “About MOFA” – “Scholarships & Fellowships”.

The post Taiwan 2021 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Scholarship applications now open appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.