Rangers make surprise find after pulling crocodile from popular fishing spot
Wildlife rangers in North Queensland were inundated with multiple reports from 'concerned' members of the public that a crocodile was basking in a popular Australian fishing spot. Queensland's department of environment responded by sending out rangers with a trap, but what they discovered was surprising.
After placing the device close to Aplins Weir on the Ross River in Townsville, they quickly caught a 2.8-metre-long crocodile.
It was only as they were removing the animal from the water that the penny dropped — rangers weren't just dealing with one animal, but two. The second one wasn't as big, but it was still a solid two metres in length.
'We have reinstalled the trap to target the second crocodile for removal,' Ranger Dinouk Perera said.
'The department would like to thank those community members who reported the crocodile.
'Crocodile sighting reports give us important information about a crocodile's location and behaviour that allows us to assess whether it needs to be removed from the wild."
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Although the saltwater crocodile was sighted in its natural habitat, Queensland has a policy of removing the species from areas where conflict with humans is likely to occur.
The captured crocodile is now being kept in a holding pond and the state environment department confirmed it will be rehomed to a farm or zoo.
'Crocodiles could be present in any waterway in areas of crocodile habitat. They can swim long distances and may turn up in places they haven't been seen before, particularly after flooding,' Perera said.
'That's why it is important to report all crocodile sightings to the department as soon as possible, for investigation by wildlife rangers.'
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