6 days ago
Queensland croc attack survivor speaks out in support of removal, culling
A father who survived an attack by a 4.5-metre saltwater crocodile is among hundreds of Queenslanders calling for the reptiles to be removed or culled from a Far North river.
Marco Tiraboschi was fishing on the bank of the McIvor River, 300 kilometres north of Cairns on the Cape York Peninsula, when the crocodile lunged at him and pulled him under the water.
"Both he and I were breathing heavy, with my foot in his mouth," he said of the November 2021 attack.
"I took a breath and we went under together.
Mr Tiraboschi said he did not resist due to the risk that the croc would go into a "death roll".
Instead he waited until the croc exposed its flank and stabbed its neck with his hunting knife.
The animal let go and a terrified Mr Tiraboschi, who had two punctured ankles, was fully clothed and carrying a backpack, swam for his life.
Mr Tiraboschi takes responsibility for being in croc country that day, but he is one of 500 residents and farmers from the town of Mareeba who have signed a petition calling for the removal of crocodiles from the Barron River.
Mr Tiraboschi was attacked in a separate waterway hundreds of kilometres away, but he and the other petitioners are arguing that crocodiles are not endemic in their area.
"They have to removed and if they can't be removed, they will have to be culled," Mr Tiraboschi said.
The Barron River is classified as zone F in the crocodile management plan, which indicates that crocodiles are "atypical" in the area and should be removed immediately.
Those in support of the petition argue crocs are encroaching on agricultural land and want zoning changes to ensure immediate removal of problem crocodiles.
Mareeba Shire Council Deputy Mayor Lenore Wyatt said crocodiles had crossed the Mulligan Highway, from the Mitchell to Barron River, and were threatening farmers.
"We would really like to see more action than six months [of] chasing a crocodile in a farmer's dam," she said.
"Agriculture is the highest contributor to our economy and what we're seeing now is a farmer having to check his foot valves … for a crocodile who's showing aggressive behaviour."
A Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation spokesperson said the presence of a 3.5m crocodile on farmland was confirmed in January but the animal was believed to have moved back to the Mitchell River.
The presence of an estuarine crocodile in the Barron River had not been confirmed, the spokesperson said.
The Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill, which would legalise culling, will be before state parliament again next week.
Gimuy Walubara Yidinji man Neven Reyes spoke at the last public hearing of the bill in Cairns and said crocodiles had "their identity and purpose for a reason".
"It's sad to see this creation seen as dangerous, because they don't take as much life as other things do," he told the hearing.
"Scientists know, when you move a crocodile, you could take it across the world — he'll come back, he'll find his way home."
A public hearing and briefing on the Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill will be held in Brisbane on June 11.
