As dawn breaks over Darwin Harbour, government ranger Kelly Ewin carefully balances on a floating crocodile trap. The sky is heavy with storm clouds, remnants of a recent deluge, and the boat engine has fallen silent. Only the occasional splash from within the trap breaks the stillness.

"You don’t get second chances with these creatures," Ewin remarks as he skillfully attempts to secure a noose around the jaws of the restless saltwater crocodile.

This is Australia's Northern Territory (NT), home to an estimated 100,000 wild saltwater crocodiles—more than anywhere else in the world. The region’s capital, Darwin, is a small coastal city flanked by beaches and wetlands. Here in the NT, one quickly learns a simple rule: where there’s water, there’s likely a crocodile.

Saltwater crocodiles, or "salties" as locals call them, were nearly wiped out 50 years ago. Post-World War II, a booming trade in crocodile skins reduced their population to just 3,000. However, after a 1971 ban on hunting, their numbers rebounded rapidly.

Now a protected species, salties are no longer at risk of extinction. Their dramatic recovery, however, has presented Australia with a new challenge: balancing their conservation with public safety.

"The worst outcome is when people turn against crocodiles," warns croc expert Prof. Grahame Webb. "That’s when a politician might come along with a knee-jerk solution to 'fix' the crocodile problem."

The NT's warm climate and abundant coastline provide an ideal habitat for these cold-blooded predators, which need heat to regulate their body temperature. Significant populations also thrive in Northern Queensland, Western Australia, and parts of Southeast Asia.

Unlike most crocodile species, salties are fiercely territorial and aggressive. While fatal encounters in Australia are rare, they do occur. Last year, a 12-year-old tragically became the first crocodile fatality in the NT since 2018.

For now, Ewin and his team work tirelessly to manage these ancient reptiles, striking a delicate balance between human safety and the survival of a species that has been part of the landscape for millennia.