Anger erupts after Canadian tourist's 'disgusting' stunt with juvenile crocodile
The incident, posted online by Colton Macaulay, shows the social media influencer standing topless as he pulls a small freshwater crocodile from the water with his bare hands.
"Hey guys, I'm in Australia right now and we just yoinked a freshwater croc," he says in the video, which has since been taken down. The crocodile is seen thrashing about as it's pulled from the water. He then holds the reptile to the camera, keeping it in place by holding it by the neck.
"I don't think he was happy about it because he started making these sounds like a chainsaw. Or maybe that's the sound they make when they decide to cry like a little b***h."
While it's unclear if the video was taken in Queensland, Northern Territory or northern Western Australia, one conservationist told Yahoo News he is calling on all levels of government to "step up" and take action on the issue.
Matt Cornish, co-founder of Community Representation of Crocodiles (CROC), is among those to criticise the influencer's dangerous actions and described the vision as "disgusting" and "deplorable".
"If we have someone, regardless of which country they are from, abusing our native wildlife, [authorities] need to step up and make an example of them," he told Yahoo News.
The influencer claimed in his footage to be a "professional", however, Matt argues that without the correct permits, he is "nothing more than a social media idiot".
Permits can be granted in Queensland and the Northern Territory to handle crocodiles in the wild, but they are rarely given out and typically restricted to zoos and government officials when required for research or public safety reasons.
"Self-proclaimed professionals have no idea what they are doing, and they are obviously breaking the law by handling native wildlife without the right permits," he said.
"We need all levels of government to step up and take control of the situation, it's continuing, and we need to stamp down on it," he said, referencing a similar incident earlier this year where an American tourist shared a video of herself snatching a baby wombat from its mother.
Another crocodile advocate Paul Bowen, who runs the emerging Croc Conscious social media accounts, warned that the juvenile crocodile seen in the video would have been 'very stressed' by the encounter, leading to a build-up of lactic acid, which in extreme scenarios can be deadly.
The Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation was not able to confirm or deny to Yahoo News if Macaulay has a permit in the state.
A spokesperson told Yahoo News that there is a maximum penalty of $6,674 for disturbing dangerous animals in the wild.
"People should keep a safe distance away from native animals they see in the wild," the spokesperson said. "Not only is this dangerous for the person, interacting with wild animals can habituate them."
Without an exact location for the incident, an investigation cannot be launched. Macaulay now appears to be back in Canada.
🐍 Influencers facing $464,400 fines for copying Steve Irwin photo 'trend'
🐊 Disturbing video of wild crocodile stunt prompts warning
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Ben Pearson, Country Director at World Animal Protection Australia said told Yahoo News "this is cruelty for the sake of content".
"Aussies are quite rightly outraged by this video," he said, describing the influencer's actions as "unacceptable".
"Crocodiles are not a photo prop or plaything, and they should be treated with respect," he said.
It's not the first time a tourist has mishandled a native animal and shared it online. Earlier this year, American Sam Jones faced fierce criticism for taking a baby wombat away from its mother along a country road.
The 34-second clip, which was quickly deleted, saw the woman gleefully running back to her car holding the animal. 'Just caught a baby wombat,' her laughing male Australian colleague can be heard saying from behind the camera. 'Look at the mother, chasing after her.'
But the incident exposed a "big problem" when it comes to enforcing the law when influencers exploit the nation's wildlife for clicks and likes.
"There aren't enough people on the ground to be able to deal with the amount of incidents that are coming forward now with the rise of social media," managing lawyer from Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) Kirstiana Ward told Yahoo News at the time.
In Australia, the federal government is only responsible for prosecuting companies or people that 'significantly' harm threatened species.
Otherwise, enforcing wildlife laws is left up to the states and territories. So if it's unclear where an influencer shot their video, even if they clearly committed an offence, a prosecution is rarely possible.
Yahoo News has contacted Colton Macaulay for comment.
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