Grey nomads and other travellers are again being warned to take care when fishing in northern waters following a deadly crocodile attack at Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory.
Police say a 62-year-old man was on a fishing trip with his wife, son and daughter-in-law at a remote waterhole on the South Alligator River system when he was taken on Saturday afternoon. The media has been told that the man was in a boat and washing or emptying a bucket at the time of the attack.
The man’s family heard splashing sounds, and turned around but were not able to save him. With no mobile phone coverage available, it is understood that the victim’s wife and daughter-in-law drove for two hours to Cooinda to raise the alarm.
The remains of the dead man were later found inside a 4.7-metre long crocodile after it was shot dead by police. Police also shot a second large saltwater crocodile during their search for the man,
Sergeant Andrew Hocking told the Herald-Sun newspaper that the area where the man went missing had recently been reopened to coincide with the start of the Dry season.
“The water is deep in this billabong … a number of large crocodiles obviously frequent this area,” he said. “There is always a potential for crocodile attack, and I encourage people to think carefully about their safety at all times.”
It was a warning echoed by Amateur Fishermen’s Association executive, Craig Ingram.
“We encourage people to make sure they’re aware of crocs and be aware there are some real risks, and people need to be responsible for their behaviour,” he told the Herald-Sun. “We don’t condone anything which is high-risk activity – standing in knee-deep water is not something you can say is safe … the likelihood of something happening is high.”
Everybody travelling in the northern areas of Australia, should visit the Crocodile Farm at Yeppoon to understand how to look out for and look where Crocodiles live. They also give an example of how they cannot be seen under water, but know when lunch is served! This is an extremely good education for all people travelling in these northern waters areas. I highly recommend this site to visit and become more informed especially when travelling with children. The history and what they can do in their natural habitat is crucial for everyone.
Yes I agree you should see the croc farm And you will see how the crocs
react in the water
Totally agree that tourist operators in the areas where crocodiles live should never be allowed to lure Crocs into jumping out of the water near tourist boats for the sake of a snap shot. T hey become victims of habit and therefore place all small boats in “Danger:” in their region.