CROC CATCHER

As Wild Croc Territory makes a splash on Netflix, reptile wrangler Matt Wright explains what it takes to wrestle with prehistoric beasts for a living

- Matt Wright

Matt Wright is a modern-day outback wrangler. The 42-year-old Australian has spent his life tracking, catching and rehoming some of the world’s most dangerous animals, and his new Netflix series, Wild Croc Territory, sees him turn attention to one of the most terrifying beasts on Earth: the crocodile. 

He’s not the new Tiger King, though. Wright is a conservationist at heart, and his team are called on by farmers and wildlife management authorities when there’s a crocodile on the loose – to ensure a positive outcome for both sides…

Men’s Fitness: How did you get into catching crocodiles for a living? 

Matt Wright: “It’s been in my blood since I was a young fella. I was out having adventures and catching a lot of reptiles – brown snakes, tiger snakes, taipans – as a kid. That turned into a bigger adventure and bigger love of wildlife. 

“I was about 17 when I caught my first crocodile. I was working on a [mining] drill rig. They were pumping water out of an area and a crocodile kept grabbing hold of the pump and tearing it to pieces. I said, ‘I’ll catch it,’ and they didn’t really know what to say. I set a trap, caught the crocodile, towed him down the beach and let him go.” 

MF: Talk us through the techniques involved in catching a crocodile...