Steve Irwin’s 4m Croc ‘Old Faithful’ Moved to Australia Zoo, and People Aren’t Happy

A massive 4-metre crocodile once famously captured and released by Steve Irwin in the 1990s has been rehomed from Far North Queensland to Australia Zoo — and the move has sparked widespread backlash.

The crocodile, known as Old Faithful, was captured in Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park, nearly 400 kilometres north of Cairns, by wildlife officers from Queensland’s Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) in September.

He was transferred to Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast over the weekend, where staff announced his arrival in an Instagram video featuring archival footage of Irwin’s original capture and release.

“Once we heard he was unreleasable, we jumped in to offer to give him a home,” said Toby Millyard from Australia Zoo. “We know that we can give him the best of the best for the rest of his life, and to avoid him going to a crocodile farm.”

Zoo staff said Old Faithful had become dangerously habituated to humans after being fed by the public, making it unsafe to release him back into the wild.

Local Outrage Over the 1600km Move

The decision to move Old Faithful more than 1,600 kilometres south has angered conservationists and traditional owners, who say they were not consulted about the removal of an animal with deep cultural significance.

Alwyn Lyall, chair of the Rinyirru (Lakefield) Aboriginal Corporation, said the crocodile is a totemic animal for the Kuku Warra people.

“Old Faithful is a totemic animal for the Kuku Warra Aboriginal people, and some family members have very strong cultural connections to him,” Lyall told SBS World News.

He said the community should have been involved in the decision, describing the move as disrespectful to local traditions and custodianship.

Conservation Groups Call Move ‘Underhanded’

Cairns-based conservation group Community Representation of Crocodiles (CROCS) accused the Queensland government of quietly moving the animal without transparency.

“Over the weekend the department quietly transferred Old Faithful from the Cairns holding facility to Australia Zoo,” CROCS said in a Facebook post.

The group claimed that more than 450 letters had been sent to Queensland Environment Minister Andrew Powell, urging the government to reconsider the transfer.

Jesse Crampton, from Croc Country Australia, said his facility had also applied to rehome Old Faithful but never received a response.

“We went through this process before with another ‘icon crocodile’ and were surprised to hear nothing this time,” Crampton said.

Government Defends the Decision

In a statement, DETSI said Australia Zoo was chosen after “multiple rehoming options” were reviewed.

“Australia Zoo was the best-suited facility to accept and care for a crocodile of this size and significance,” the department said.
“The smooth transition highlights the shared goal of wildlife conservation and education.”

Under Queensland law, any crocodile over four metres long or with distinctive features is classified as an “icon crocodile”, meaning special rules govern how and where it can be moved.

Despite the official justification, critics argue that removing a culturally significant animal from its traditional lands goes against the principles of Indigenous consultation and wildlife respect.