Reminder how dangerous it can be

Shooter saves two after croc attack
October 11, 2004

A MAN and a woman were seriously injured today when a four metre crocodile attacked them as they slept in a tent on a beach in far north Queensland.

The crocodile is believed to have been shot dead following the attack early today at Cape Melville, wildlife authorities said.

The pair, an elderly woman and a 34-year-old man, have been flown by helicopter to the ranger station at Lakefield National Park.

The 34-year-old man suffered injuries to his legs and body and was believed to be in a serious condition, while the woman had injuries to her arm and upper body.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) northern regional service director Clive Cook said the pair were inside their tent early this morning when the 4.2 metre crocodile grabbed the man.

He said the woman had immediately gone to the man's assistance, but the crocodile grabbed her and attempted to drag her towards the water.

"Apparently somebody else who was up there then subsequently shot dead the crocodile," Mr Cook said.

He said the group had managed to set off a rescue beacon, capturing the attention of the QPWS who were in the area eradicating wild pigs.

A QPWS helicopter went to the site and evacuated the pair, taking them to the ranger station while alerting the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

An Australian Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (AusSAR) spokesman said a rescue helicopter from Cairns was on its way to the park and would stop at Cooktown on the way to pick up a doctor.

Mr Cook said the pair were currently being treated at the station by the RFDS and would be flown to the Cairns Base Hospital later today.

He said a fly-by of the area had confirmed the crocodile was dead.

No further details were available.

AAP

Time for a cull.
Cheers,
Bros.

I wonder were it actually happened. I've camped on the beach there under the large shade trees and never thought you'd get a croc wander up there and have a go at you. How wrong I was if this is were it happened. I wonder if there were scraps lying around etc, I thought there would need to be something to entice the croc to come up into the camp.

I was at the Liemen River fishing camp a few months ago and there was women swimming from the moored boat in the river back to camp, each day. Wonder how she faired!! No one could tell her not to do it, including the owners.

I'm surprised that a lot more people are not taken or attacked given the numbers of people I have seen camping close to the water and who believe that a croc doesn't travel far from the water.....and some think that 10m from the water is quite safe. Not only tents but swags too!!

Or fishing/sitting in chairs on the waters edge (deep and dirty too) day after day in the same place around the same time.

What would entice a croc out of the water?............an easy meal and that's what we are to them, plain and simple.

Fortunately there was another person there armed and a rescue beacon was carried.

Digger (who always surrounds his camp with early warning devices and is a light sleeper)

G,day all. That must have been some rogue croc. I've spent a lot of time at Cape Melville over the last few years and never seen one. That sandy beach is just not normal croc hunting territory, except for where some of the creeks run into the bay. I know that they are sometimes seen on the beach, but suspect that they are just having a break on the way to somewhere more appropriate. To come out of the water to hunt is really unusual behaviour. Perhaps that croc had been chased away from his old territory in the lead up to mating season, and was getting really hungry. Perhaps he had a couple of easy feeds from food scraps etc from campers or even the boats that frequent the bay. One things for sure, he won't do it again!
Unfortunately its going to be hard to persuade my wife to let me take her and my 2.5 yo boy there next year, as I've always said how safe it was. I'll be back though, to one of my favourite places.

Just 2 words: "Rooftop tent" :-)

Wouldn't doubt about the feeding. Quite a few places I've been and still go on the weekends, people feed crocs. Including a pro fisherman I was talking to. Asked him what he was doing with all the fish scraps in the bottom of the boat, he was heading up the river to feed a croc. He recokons a couple of metres bigger than his boat, real smart. You can't stop them, they feed crocs, dingos, goannas, roos, birds and then complain when they get hurt, on in this case someone else. Also heard from a couple of others that QLD is a long way behind in managing the croc numbers compared to other states. Just heard a repot that a croc was sited in a man made lagoon at a popular stop right in Rocky. There here in the river but this one is at the duck ponds, lots of kids and dogs.

The more detailed reports of this incident that have come out in the last 24 hours indicate that the victims were among a fairly croc conscious group of people. They were on an annual fishing trip and were doing the sensible things like disposing of fish guts etc away from camp. I guess what the did wrong (with hindsight) was camp a bit too close to the water. Having seen pics of their camp I have to be honest and admit to having camped in similar proximity when on trips up north including Cape York and NT. One thing this incident does for me is that I'll be giving a little bit more thought to camping further away from the waters edge in future. Actually, years ago I met a couple of Cape York pig hunters who said they never camped closer than 200m from any water course. Experience shows!

I think complacency is the biggest problem. When I did Cape York my travelling companion lost his hat over the side of the Jardine River barge as we were crossing. He immediately dived overboard to retrieve it then swam ashore. It was only a short time later that a man was attacked and killed at this very spot. Another thing I saw when living in Darwin was a pic (on front page of NT Times) of locals including kids immersed up to their necks, swimming at Shady Camp. Several large saltwater crocs were floating by only a couple of hundred metres behind them. Anyone familiar with the Top End will know that Shady Camp is one of the regions top barra fishing spots because the barra get caught around the fresh/saltwater barrage, hence there is also a large population of fresh and saltwater crocs - biggies! First time we went there we were driving through the camping area when a croc crossed in front of the car. Consequently, we never camped there.

:o) Melissa