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Don't feed the crocodiles
Suspect crocodile was known to locals
by: Amos Aikman, Northern correspondent
From:The Australian
December 03, 201212:00AM
A CROCODILE suspected of snatching a nine-year-old boy near a remote indigenous community in Arnhem Land was known to locals, who had fed it in the past, according to police. The child was swimming with a group of people about lunchtime on Saturday when he was attacked. Adults threw spears at the animal, but it responded by dragging the boy into deeper water.
Two shots were fired that afternoon, as police and rangers sought to locate and destroy the beast. The search, involving six officers and three boats, continued yesterday, but by last night neither the crocodile nor the boy had been found.
The incident occurred close to the outstation of Dhaniya, about 80km south of Nhulunbuy and 600km east of Darwin. The Australian has been told the victim was a member of the extended Gurruwiwi family, a prominent family group in Arnhem Land.
It is the second croc attack in just over a fortnight, after a seven-year-old girl was taken while swimming with children and one adult at a waterhole elsewhere in the Territory.
Sergeant Alex Brennan from Nhulunbuy police said there were about eight crocodiles in the area, of which two were big enough to have taken the child.
At least one of those, he said, was known to locals, who had fed it in the past.
"The information I have is that there was an old crocodile that lived nearby, and that locals have fed it in the past," Sergeant Brennan said. "I wouldn't describe it as a pet."
He said the "old crocodile" could have taken the child, but that police wouldn't know until they found the beast. The search is expected to continue today. A police spokesman said there were grave fears for the child.
"Not too many people come away from a crocodile attack, I'm afraid," the spokesman said.
On November 17, a seven-year-old girl was taken while swimming in Arnhem Land. A 3m crocodile was shot dead the next day, and human remains suspected of belonging to the girl were found inside.
One longtime Arnhem Land resident expressed surprise at the news, saying Aboriginal people were typically croc-wise. Another said children could act irresponsibly when their parents were distracted.
Joe Morrison, chief of the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance, said crocodile numbers had reached dangerous levels.
"It's become a dangerous issue for people living in remote areas, particularly those with young kids," he said, and called for a new management strategy.
Graham Webb, chairman of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Crocodile Specialist Group, said organised hunting could add to existing efforts by indigenous people to use crocodiles as a resource.
:desire:
by: Amos Aikman, Northern correspondent
From:The Australian
December 03, 201212:00AM
A CROCODILE suspected of snatching a nine-year-old boy near a remote indigenous community in Arnhem Land was known to locals, who had fed it in the past, according to police. The child was swimming with a group of people about lunchtime on Saturday when he was attacked. Adults threw spears at the animal, but it responded by dragging the boy into deeper water.
Two shots were fired that afternoon, as police and rangers sought to locate and destroy the beast. The search, involving six officers and three boats, continued yesterday, but by last night neither the crocodile nor the boy had been found.
The incident occurred close to the outstation of Dhaniya, about 80km south of Nhulunbuy and 600km east of Darwin. The Australian has been told the victim was a member of the extended Gurruwiwi family, a prominent family group in Arnhem Land.
It is the second croc attack in just over a fortnight, after a seven-year-old girl was taken while swimming with children and one adult at a waterhole elsewhere in the Territory.
Sergeant Alex Brennan from Nhulunbuy police said there were about eight crocodiles in the area, of which two were big enough to have taken the child.
At least one of those, he said, was known to locals, who had fed it in the past.
"The information I have is that there was an old crocodile that lived nearby, and that locals have fed it in the past," Sergeant Brennan said. "I wouldn't describe it as a pet."
He said the "old crocodile" could have taken the child, but that police wouldn't know until they found the beast. The search is expected to continue today. A police spokesman said there were grave fears for the child.
"Not too many people come away from a crocodile attack, I'm afraid," the spokesman said.
On November 17, a seven-year-old girl was taken while swimming in Arnhem Land. A 3m crocodile was shot dead the next day, and human remains suspected of belonging to the girl were found inside.
One longtime Arnhem Land resident expressed surprise at the news, saying Aboriginal people were typically croc-wise. Another said children could act irresponsibly when their parents were distracted.
Joe Morrison, chief of the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance, said crocodile numbers had reached dangerous levels.
"It's become a dangerous issue for people living in remote areas, particularly those with young kids," he said, and called for a new management strategy.
Graham Webb, chairman of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Crocodile Specialist Group, said organised hunting could add to existing efforts by indigenous people to use crocodiles as a resource.
:desire:
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