Winter is here and, for obvious reasons, the tropical north is a fabulous place to spend the cooler months … but we certainly do have to take care as we venture into unfamiliar areas.
As well as the long hours of driving that are often involved, there’s the fierce tropical heat, and we mustn’t forget the creatures such as the stingers … and the crocs.
News is just emerging of another crocodile attack on a fisherman … this time on a dentist near Derby in Western Australia. The details are enough to give even the most careful of anglers the heebie-jeebies.
Apparently, a 59-year-old Broome man was fishing from a dinghy when a 2.5-metre saltie leapt into his boat and clamped its jaws around his right shoulder. Incredibly, Bruce Rudeforth survived the attack at Secure Bay and, after putting up a fight, suffered nothing worse than a number of minor puncture wounds to his upper chest.
“Fortunately, my elbow was free and I was able to stand up fairly rapidly and whack it in the throat with my elbow and it fell off,” he told the ABC.
The crocodile slid back into the water but returned again, forcing Bruce and his fishing companion Neil Fong to hit it with an oar.
The pair then returned to a larger fishing boat where three other colleagues were waiting. Mr Rudeforth’s brother-in-law – and fellow dentist – stitched closed the puncture wounds.
Incredibly, the group then decided to continue their fishing trip in the remote region … and that is why news of the attack is just emerging.
“It takes a lot to organise a trip like that, so why come home?” asked Bruce.
Wow! Now there’s a man who loves his fishing adventures. Unfortunately, we are not all made of the same stuff and I have to admit that just hearing about the incident has made me want to ask the question … “Anyone want to buy some second-hand fishing rods?”
Bruce told the West Australian newspaper the experience had not put him off returning to the fishing spot, but he wanted to warn others that the behaviour of the crocodiles in the area appeared to have changed inexplicably.
Not long before the attack, he and the other man had caught two barramundi and lost two others while fishing along the side of a creek.
“There was no warning whatsoever,” he said. “We have been doing this for years and years and there are always crocodiles around.”.
The Department of Environment and Conservation’s chief zoologist says he is unsure what prompted the unusual attack. Zoologist Peter Mawson says the crocodile could have been desperate for food or overly familiar with fishermen in the area.
“One of the things about a very heavy wet season is that it puts a lot more water into the system, so more distance between each fish,” he said. “So, the crocs might be doing it a bit tougher but it’s also possible that the croc has associated fishermen visiting the area with an easy meal or a free handout.”
Last week also, Town Beach in the grey nomad hotspot of Broome was closed after a three-metre croc was seen just 10 metres from the shoreline. Officers from the Department of Environment and Conservation then monitored the reptile’s progress as it headed north. They are out there.
