A saltwater crocodile that lunged at two people walking at a waterway on the side of a highway in Kakadu National Park has been killed by rangers.
The ABC reports that the 4.2-metre crocodile was hunted down after the incident, which happened at a culvert on the side of the Arnhem Highway, 28 kilometres west of Jabiru. The two people were fishing in the area.
“Luckily, the two escaped harm and raised the alarm with our rangers,” a spokeswoman for Kakadu National Park said. “Our rangers headed straight out to the scene, and they could clearly see large croc tracks in the grass, heading into the water, but no sign of the croc.”
The ABC reports that rangers believed the croc was dangerous and returned later that night.
“They quickly located a crocodile fitting the description, a 4.2-metre croc that was missing a portion of its tail and appeared underweight,” the spokeswoman said. “The animal was shot and removed in the interest of public safety.”
The animal was so large that staff had to use a tractor to lift it up to the road.
“It’s a timely reminder that crocodiles are extremely active at this time of year, and you should assume that they’re present in all of Kakadu’s rivers and creeks,” the spokeswoman said.
She said it was not safe to go strolling off designated roads and pathways, particularly close to water. Despite the perils, there are many popular fishing spots in the area for land-based anglers trying to catch barramundi.
The Kakadu rangers killed the crocodile as its size and aggression would have made it difficult to catch live.
