Crocodile Shot In North Queensland After Stalking Surfers
A large crocodile has been shot dead in Mackay after stalking surfers and fishermen in waters around the region.
As Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle passed offshore last week, North Wall was full of keen surfers who did not often get to catch a wave in Mackay.
But little did they know a 3.8-metre crocodile was lurking.
Some surfers and swimmers were forced to scramble up the rock wall to get away from the reptile.
Wildlife officers removed the 3.8m crocodile from the wild on Tuesday (Photo: Department of Environment and Science)
Days later, a fisherman fought off the same crocodile with rocks at a local creek.
The Department of Environment and Science received several reported sightings over a number of days from the public.
"On February 9, a member of the public contacted the department to report a large crocodile at a local beach," senior wildlife officer Jane Burns said.
North Wall was packed with surfers last Thursday (Photo: ABC Tropical North: Lillian Watkins)
"He told the story that the crocodile had approached him while he was out surfing and there were a number of people there.
"Some people ended up getting out onto the beach and then others managed to get out up close to the rocks, which was their closest exit."
Ms Burns said the crocodile remained in the area for a while before heading to the local marina.
"We had a couple of sightings that same day for an animal that fitted the same description," she said.
"That sort of action is when wildlife officers start going out and actually looking for the animal.
"We do that every time something like this comes along to confirm behaviour and size."
Search mission
Local wildlife officers began a search mission that lasted several days and nights.
"Wildlife officers conducted night-time spotlight searches around the harbour, Eimeo Creek, and McCreadys Creek before extending their search into Reliance Creek," Ms Burns said.
On Tuesday, a fisherman alerted the department to a large croc aggressively stalking him on the banks of Reliance Creek.
Signs warned beachgoers about the recent crocodile sighting (Photo: Department of Environment and Science)
"He felt very uncomfortable with the distance this animal came to him … he threw rocks at this croc to basically get it away," Ms Burns said.
"Wildlife officers assessed the animal as posing an unacceptable danger to the community and the decision was to humanely euthanase the crocodile on the spot.
"In the majority of times if there's an animal that's been declared, it's removed with trapping … and then put into one of the local zoos or farms."
Ms Burns said there were a number of reasons why an animal was euthanased or removed from the wild.
"It's all based on the location, behaviour and size," she said.
"With this particular animal, it was deemed to have dangerous behaviour in what it did days before and we observed that as well out on the water.
"For that instance, we did have firearms there on site … it was the safest option."
'Croc country'
Since the start of the year, there have been 23 reported crocodile sightings in the Mackay region. In contrast, the Rockhampton region has had four.
"Mackay is croc country," Ms Burns said.
"With recent rain events, it does push them around a lot more so they can turn up in unexpected areas.
"During the recent investigation, wildlife officers located a 2.7m crocodile in Reliance Creek and a smaller animal in another nearby creek."
Ms Burns said those animals did not pose any danger to the community.
"People must understand that crocodiles are widely distributed throughout the Mackay region," she said.
Anyone who spots a crocodile is encouraged to report the sighting using the QWildlife App or by calling the Department of Environment and Science.
Comments
Kinda surprised there are not more croc stories from Indo, PNG etc.
But.. I'm not sure where they are found.. i.e. I've heard there are lots in the Solomons but none in Vanuatu.
Anyone understand the distribution?
Can be anywhere in PNG but they tend to be taken out by the locals in the more populated areas. Eg New Ireland - locals will not tolerate crocs in the north but a few remain in the sparsely populated south
PNG has a town called New Ireland?
An island called New Ireland. Next door to New Britain.
I think it's more about the reporting than the frequency. Since I've been in Bougainville I've known of four individuals attacked, mainly guys spearfishing at night. None of them even made the local media, such as it is.
I remember the story of the English surfer being killed by a croc in Sri Lanka a few years ago. Terrifying.
WTF? I've surfed there - and didnt even THINK about crocs!!!
Been working along a decent stretch of forest and swamplands on and across sections of the Purari river and closer to the coast near Kerema/Malalaua in the Golf Province of New Guinea. In this entire time we have only seen tracks of one croc and one of the local boys saw a 2fter near our water source in an area that has been historically known to be croc country. Have spent a hell of lot of time in the air scouting our work stations as travel around this area for this project is done by helicopter. Seen fuck all. Boys love hunting them. I've been told there are some big ones around but in constant hiding. One of the most interesting things I've noticed here apart from birds and insects, there is hardly any wildlife where we are at. Birds you hardly see, but you do hear the wings of the large hornbill at times and the occasional cassowary tracks here and there. People here are still living very traditionally and anything and everything is fair game.
Typically they aren't quite as big as the ones you get in Oz and secondly they typically don't go into the surf zone they hang in mangroves and estuaries.
Almost as depressing as the killing of the croc is all those surfers out in dirty brown industrial wasteland looking onshore choss.
Surely there's something better to do than that?
the ocean mostly looks like that in NQ until you get out past a few of the islands and into the reef. they get huge tides up there and a lot of the sand composition is quite silty and grainy. plenty of rainfall, plenty of run-off. I actually thought the water around the marina there was probably some of the cleaner water I'd seen around in the area... haha. really good fishing there.
What's depressing about killing a croc that's being agressive towards people? There's thousands of them, one less is no problem.
Interesting that they’ll nail a croc if it’s close to people but not a shark..
Or am I wrong about that?
Crocs need better PR
So true, better get on to National Geographic and start producing "Croc Week"
And then after the PR, let's get some activists for the crocs
First, we need a grant to study and identify how language like 'stalked' leads to poorer public perceptions of crocodiles.
You're on the right track! We can change the language: replace 'crocodile attack' which just sounds nasty, with 'Crocodile Proximity Touch' which sounds far more comfortable.
'Territorial Crocodile' can be replaced with 'It's their beach/river/estuary, you enter their world at your own risk'.
Maybe because crocs are more territorial (as opposed to pelagic) and the inevitable is more obvious/likely?
Is it the case where there are many sharks close to humans but few encounters with humans; but with crocs the opposite?
I think in North Qld they have a different approach to problem solving.
I've seen what they do to them in the NT, this poor unlucky croc didn't stand a chance. ;)
Hahaha, that's Kai from Goat Is on the Adelaide River. He is one special character. There is video footage of one of his dogs being taken by a croc a couple of years ago too.
https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/dumb-blonde-gets-snapp...
They can find the croc but not the shark. Croc comes outta the water whereas the shark after biting someone might go 10k kms away
90 % of the time its still in the Area for an hour or so
When Paul Wilcox was killed at Byron that GWS was wanting more and swimming only 5-10 mts off the Beach with the Chopper hovering overhead...that fkr should have had a Slug in its head
Freeride would remember that Footage.
Its 12 mths since Simon Nellist was taken in Sydney - RIP.
They kill sharks on the daily with the 20 drum lines set just off the beach. North Queensland is a different risk profile to SEQ when it comes to things wanting to kill you
This has been an argument of mine for years. Shark huggers have done a way better job of making them PC and woke to protect than crocs. The obvious answer to me for species that are overpopulated and threatening human life is shoot a few of them. If you're against this then no problem you simply won't be able to surf/dive/swim/fish the areas you once were able to. It's not rocket science, when you protect a species their populations will increase, that's the whole point of it. There comes a point when you need to manage those populations or else they get out of control, and that tipping point has either arrived or is getting very close.
"The obvious answer to me for species that are overpopulated and threatening human life is shoot a few of them." Haha...humans
Totally
I once surfed in cairns after a cyclone, with about 15 others.. I’ll forget how excited I was to get up and across a 2ft brown close out .. and a floater.. after 5 years of no waves.. Crocs stingers sharks jelly fish was all i could think of for that 30 mins 4 wave surf .(worst conditions ever) but most memorable at the time..
Point Samson Jetty in a cyclone swell.....when FIFO was 1 return trip a year
Parents used to live in Mackay so I know the joys of Xmas cyclone swell at North wall.
Much more fun than it looks.
Did my last year of High School in Rocky.
Anyone here had the pleasure of wading through the saltwater swamp behind ....... beach?
Crocs are intensively managed in QLD.
Had a saltwater croc swim past me while we was having our morning coffee in front of the restaurant at Macaronis in July .
Torren Martyn had one hang around his boat for a day or two in the Ments (i think) last year.
Was actually in the Telos, was also super surprised with this, ive spent a year or more of my life in the Telos and never seen one there either and never seen evidence of one before that footage either.
I honestly thought locals had killed them all in Telos and Mentawais, but then you see these videos appear and its like fk they really are still there.
Seen a couple at Macca's over the years, but further into the bay.
I worked at Maccas resort for a season in 2008, locals told stories of them taking their dogs etc and we would tell guest you could sometimes spot them on the river bank as we went up the river to Silabu village, but the truth is i never saw one the whole time or any evidence of one, not even a pic, but since then ive seen footage of one at Maccas so yeah they are there.
Kinda scary in hindsight because me and a mate would often sneak off with a small tinne trawling lures in the bay in the late arvo near Silabu and often come back when tide was too low and have to drag the boat back through the mangroves sometimes it was almost dark or one time was dark, often use to swim in the lagoon at night too.
2008-9 would have had to be the last time the resort was operating for some time then? We used to walk around the resort when it closed down so must have been 2010 and onwards, after the tsunami in 2010. Ah great days indeed in the early 2000's over there. We may have shared a wave or two? Mates still don't believe we used to surf Maccas and surrounds with no one else lol
It was closed for 2007 season i helped Mark get things back up and running in 2008.
(Marks a good mate, but i dont agree with Mark on the politics around it all though)
indo-dreaming , the dogs are pretty smart how they wait on the sand for the perfect tide to cross over and visit the resort , those mangroves are pretty thick so not surprised crocs are in there .The locals who work at the resort told of a really big one that lives in there , recon the odd dog would go missing , the croc we witnessed was a juvenile just over two meters .
Lots of promotions footage of guests wives and kids swimming and paddling in front of the resort .We also had a woman step on a stone fish on her first day where the old rooms on the water used to be before the Tsunami .She was in agony for days scary stuff but bad luck ,I have been stomping around on reefs for over thirty years in Indo and never touch wood had that happen.
Yeah ive only seen footage or pics of fairly small ones, no huge ones, i guess they must be there though.
im in Bali right now, off season surfing, saw a pair of crocs this morning, the most disturbing part being that the guy was rocking them with socks.
That's in now man don't you know
Arent there stingers that are far worse up that far? how far north can you surf on the east coast?
Traditionally the Agnus Waters area last reasonable surf spot north. Further up the GBR blocks any swell. However as others have mentioned you can get the odd wind swell further north but it’s all novelty stuff- for the keen, dodging box jellies and crocs
fk that!!!!
The vast majority of fatal croc attacks are of people who are inebriated. Crocs are very smart. They might stalk someone for days if that person repeats their movements. Beats me why we have to kill them for stalking. Just like the coppers and tax office - pick the easy way out and snag the low fruit all the time. This croc could easily have been caught and relocated to a farm some place.