General News
27 October, 2025
Trainees snap up croc course
A UNIQUE safety course being offered at an East Russell crocodile farm is off to a flying start in a niche Far North training regime.
Dozens of trainees from the local area, also further north and south, have already snapped up the opportunity to learn about practical safety in crocodile habitats, after only a few weeks since its launch.
The unit – part of a certificate three in ‘working with crocodiles’ – is available on site at handler and crocodile behaviour expert Jesse Crampton’s Croc Country property, where he has built new crocodile enclosures over the past three years.
“We’ve just started, our first unit is up and running, it’s accredited, it’s the first one of its kind and that’s work safely in a crocodile habitat,” Mr Crampton told The Observer.
Trainees learn best practices for safely navigating and working in or around crocodile habitats, with a strong focus on risk mitigation and safety protocols, right in among ‘live’ animals.
The croc handler with around 13 years’ experience said they were working towards eventually being able to deliver the full Cert III course of about 14 units – but in the meantime, there was already a strong demand across the Far North for what was offered.
“It’s a long process, but now we’re at that stage where we’re getting results and we’ve linked up with an RTO company to accredit all of this and it seems to be very popular,” he said.
“Indigenous ranger groups, we’re getting the local councils through and pretty much any company or organisation working around waterways. This particular course is going to sell like hotcakes more or less.
“People want that accreditation for their employees to know how to be safe in crocodile habitats.”
Mr Crampton said there was a broad market for the type of specialist training he was offering because many companies and organisations, including local government and even the Army, were constantly working around waterways.
“It could be roadworkers, it could be rangers, guys with councils, anyone like that,” he said.
“We’re trying to implement safety, so these guys have a legitimate understanding of crocodile behaviour, so then they put that into practice, adjusting their behaviour around crocodile habitats.
“What’s going to make our courses stand out is the facility that I’ve built here.
“I don’t have to sit in a classroom and do a four-hour lecture looking at pictures on a screen. I can actually show them first-hand experiences with a live crocodile.”
“Not only do we cover the basics in a PowerPoint – and we really dive deep into crocodile behaviour – we’re also demonstrating it in the field with very large crocodiles that I have here at the farm.”
Mr Crampton has already put at least four groups through his course unit, with positive feedback from participants and more groups lined up in coming weeks for the distinctive training unit.
“They have a great day, it’s not your typical classroom training course, they actually really, really enjoy it.”
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