Australia man snatched in Darwin crocodile attack feared dead

[KingsOfTheDay]

Australia man snatched in Darwin crocodile attack feared dead

Police believe alcohol may have played a part in the victim’s decision to swim in dangerous waters

NICK RENAUD-KOMIYA SUNDAY 25 AUGUST 2013

A man is believed to have been killed by a crocodile in Australia’s Northern Territory while swimming in a river.

Police have reported that the 26-year-old man, who has not been named, ignored signs to keep away from the water at a popular camping ground at Mary River Park, 100km (65 miles) from Darwin, the state’s capital.

The victim was celebrating at a birthday party when he was suddenly snatched by a five metre-long crocodile, onlookers have said.

The river is a notorious habitat for crocodiles and is thought to have one of the highest populations of the dangerous reptiles in the area.

A local police official said that the victim and another man had gone swimming across the river and the pair were swimming back when the crocodile attacked.

“Several of the group in the party witnessed the male being taken in the jaws of the croc for a period of time, and then he was out of sight,” said Senior Sergeant Geoff Bahnert from the Northern Territory Police Force.

“The Mary River is known worldwide to have the greatest saturation of adult saltwater crocodiles in the world. You don't swim in the Mary River,” he added.

The police have suggested that alcohol may have played a part in the decision to swim.

Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to seven metres (23ft) in length and weigh over a tonne. Despite their name they are also found in rivers.

Crocodile numbers have shot up across Australia's tropical north since the species was protected by legislation in 1971.

The crocodile population is most dense in the Northern Territory and is promoted as a major tourist attraction.

 

[HereIsTheNews]

Australian police recover body of man taken by crocodile while swimming

Police have recovered the body of a man taken by a large crocodile in northern Australia with rangers confident they have killed the animal responsible.

Police and rangers hunted for the rogue crocodile and reportedly believed they may have shot it. Photo: ALAMY
AFP

3:27AM BST 26 Aug 2013

Sean Cole, 26, was snatched on Saturday in front of at least 15 traumatised onlookers as he swam with a friend across a muddy river that has one of the highest densities of saltwater crocodiles in the world.

Northern Territory police senior constable Wade Rodgers said his body was found early Monday in the area where he was last seen.

"Our thoughts are with the family during this very difficult time," he said.

Witnesses had recounted seeing the animal, believed to be nearly five metres long, swimming upriver with his body in its jaws.

Cole had been celebrating a friend's 30th birthday on Saturday at the Mary River Wilderness Retreat, about 110 kilometres (70 miles) from the city of Darwin, when he decided to plunge into the water. His friend survived.

The Northern Territory News said a survey three weeks ago recorded four crocodiles over four metres in the area and 10 to 12 measuring more than three metres.

Parks and Wildlife Ranger Tom Nichols said four crocs had been shot, including the one believed to be responsible for the attack.

"Any animals that were in that range which we believed to be a possible target in the area where the accident took place, we usually take them out for simple reasons," he told ABC radio.

"We do autopsies on those and it's also closure for the families if there's anything there."

Saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to seven metres long and weigh more than a tonne, are a common feature of Australia's tropical north.

They have been protected since the 1970s and their numbers have increased steadily since, along with the number of human encounters.

In December, a nine-year-old boy was taken by a four-metre crocodile while swimming in the Northern Territory, one month after a seven-year-old girl went missing while swimming, also in the north.

 

[Sinkie]

This reminds me of the time I took a tree branch and whacked the crocodile's head, it jumped up and I whack some more......so shiok!

I regret I did not have a sword then.....