Latest news with #crocodiles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Major problem behind seemingly-innocent photo of Aussie fisherman: 'Irresponsible'
At first glance, it's difficult to spot what's wrong with this photo. A man stands with his back to the camera, fishing in the shallows of a river. While it sounds innocent enough, the sight was enough to leave onlookers in disbelief. That's because the photo was taken at Shady Camp in the Northern Territory, part of the Mary River system which boasts the highest density of saltwater crocodiles in the world. 'I was absolutely dumbfounded,' witness Dave Jennings told Yahoo News. 'We first pulled up at the freshwater boat ramp, less than 100 metres away and watch a very big tail swim away.' Shortly after he spotted the man fishing from the barrage. He also watched on as a woman entered the shallows to retrieve lost lures. While most NT rivers average five crocodiles per kilometre, the Mary River is home to around 11 saltwater crocodiles per kilometre, with up to 15 per kilometre at Shady Camp. Fishing from the barrage is 'very dangerous and not recommended', the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory states, and swimming is not allowed anywhere in the Mary River National Park. Dave said there are warning signs in the area and a crocodile viewing platform that's 'there for a reason'. 'They would have to know [about the crocs] unless they live in a complete bubble,' he said. He added he was unable to approach them, as he recently snapped his achilles and is currently in a moon boot. Huge crocodiles have been known to feed on the barrage, right where the man was standing. Dave fears an attack would not only be devastating for the victim and their family, but it could also lead to dire consequences, like a culling or a shut down of the area. Croc expert Damian 'Wildman' Duffy told Yahoo the behaviour is "incredibly irresponsible". "They can't say they didn't know. There are signs everywhere and it's well known that the Mary River, especially Shady Camp, has a very healthy population of saltwater crocodiles," he said. "Croc attacks are rare, and fatalities even rarer (one to two a year), however due to poor human behaviour and complacency, attacks and fatalities are inevitable." Duffy added that people are seen flouting the rules too frequently, and believes more public education is needed. "Crocodiles should not be killed or even removed from the wild in these instances. Removing crocodiles from the wild does nothing to increase public safety," he said. In September, Duffy spotted another fisherman wading in the waters at Shady Camp but his concerns fell on deaf ears after approaching the man. He said he confronted the man nicely about the dangers of being near the edge of the water, but was dismissed. 'If one of these animals attempts to have a go at you, you're going to get killed in front of your missus and kid. And he was like, 'yeah mate, righto, righto'. 'You can't fix stupid.' In another shocking example, charter fisherman Jeff Roscoe previously told Yahoo News he regularly sees people putting themselves and their children in danger. 'There's a crocodile viewing platform there, there's massive big signs but yet people still do it,' he said. 'We'll pull up at the Shady Camp boat ramp and there'll be people standing in the water up to their knees with their kids, every day. Every day. 'I've been abused… people just don't really care. They just think it's not going to happen to them. And it will. Eventually it will.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Major update after frantic search was launched for man feared to have been eaten by crocodiles
The body of a man last seen jumping off a bridge into croc-infested waters has been recovered following an extensive search and rescue operation in the Darwin Harbour. Local man Brendan, 55, disappeared after jumping from the Channel Island Bridge. Police say he was reportedly with workmates when he jumped off the bridge into the water at 9:42pm on Friday. They said he was initially laughing but suddenly began drifting away. There were strong tidal currents and Brendan appeared to struggle before disappearing from view. Despite efforts from his friends to encourage him back to shore, Brendon was last seen in the middle of the channel, heading toward Darwin City. The search and rescue operation commenced after his friends lost sight of him and continued until the early hours of Saturday morning. NT Police Search and Rescue Section, a Careflight helicopter and the Port Authority assisted in the search. The coordinated effort included two helicopters, two NT Police vessels, Surf Life Saving crews, NT Emergency Service volunteers, Crocodile Management teams, and NT Police officers conducting foot patrols along nearby coastlines. His body was sighted in the water near East Arm Wharf about 11.30am on Saturday. NT Police said the body matches the description of an individual who was last seen entering the water about 9:40pm on Friday. Formal identification is yet to be completed. Last year, authorities launched a rescue operation on Channel Island, after he became stuck in the mangroves. Police received reports a man had become trapped in the mangroves, approximately 700metres from the nearest main road. Due to the shallow water levels, rescue crews were unable to reach him by boat. Instead, officers deployed a jet ski to navigate the difficult terrain and were able to reach the man and bring him to shore. Upon recovery, the man was reportedly disoriented and showing signs of delirium, believed to be the result of extreme dehydration. He was immediately transported to Royal Darwin Hospital for medical treatment.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Fisherman's wild act at Aussie river leaves witnesses stunned: 'Absolutely dumbfounded'
At first glance, it's difficult to spot what's wrong with this photo. A man stands with his back to the camera, fishing in the shallows of a river. While it sounds innocent enough, the sight was enough to leave onlookers in disbelief. That's because the photo was taken at Shady Camp in the Northern Territory, part of the Mary River system which boasts the highest density of saltwater crocodiles in the world. 'I was absolutely dumbfounded,' witness Dave Jennings told Yahoo News. 'We first pulled up at the freshwater boat ramp, less than 100 metres away and watch a very big tail swim away.' Shortly after he spotted the man fishing from the barrage. He also watched on as a woman entered the shallows to retrieve lost lures. While most NT rivers average five crocodiles per kilometre, the Mary River is home to around 11 saltwater crocodiles per kilometre, with up to 15 per kilometre at Shady Camp. Fishing from the barrage is 'very dangerous and not recommended', the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory states, and swimming is not allowed anywhere in the Mary River National Park. Dave said there are warning signs in the area and a crocodile viewing platform that's 'there for a reason'. 'They would have to know [about the crocs] unless they live in a complete bubble,' he said. He added he was unable to approach them, as he recently snapped his achilles and is currently in a moon boot. Huge crocodiles have been known to feed on the barrage, right where the man was standing. Dave fears an attack would not only be devastating for the victim and their family, but it could also lead to dire consequences, like a culling or a shut down of the area. Unfortunately, Dave isn't the first to spot the risky activity down at Shady Camp. Charter fisherman Jeff Roscoe previously told Yahoo News he regularly sees people putting themselves and their children in danger. 'There's a crocodile viewing platform there, there's massive big signs but yet people still do it,' he said. 'We'll pull up at the Shady Camp boat ramp and there'll be people standing in the water up to their knees with their kids, every day. Every day. 'I've been abused… people just don't really care. They just think it's not going to happen to them. And it will. Eventually it will.' In September, nature expert and tour guide Damian 'Wildman' Duffy spotted another fisherman wading in the waters at Shady Camp. 'There's a fella down there with his missus and kid, and not only is he standing right on the water's edge, every now and then he's walking into the water," he said. 'If your feet are in the water, and one of them has a go at you, you're going to die!' He said he confronted the man nicely about the dangers of being near the edge of the water, but was dismissed. 'If one of these animals attempts to have a go at you, you're going to get killed in front of your missus and kid. And he was like, 'yeah mate, righto, righto'. 'You can't fix stupid.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Brendon Doherty, 55, is missing after jumping off a bridge into croc infested water near Darwin
A man who jumped off a bridge into croc infested waters near Darwin is now missing after drifting away from workmates. Brendon Doherty, 55, jumped off the Channel Island Bridge into Darwin Harbour on Friday night but got caught in strong tidal currents and was unable to make it back to shore. His friends last saw him laughing in the water before he was swept away about 9.42pm. The Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received reports Mr Doherty was unable to swim back to shore despite encouragement from his friends. Police said he was last seen in the middle of the channel drifting towards Darwin City in strong currents. 'Witnesses observed him for approximately two minutes before losing sight of him,' a police spokesman said. The Search and Rescue Section was deployed and searched for Mr Doherty around the Middle Arm peninsula in Darwin Harbour overnight. Police urge anyone who may have see a man in the area or along the Darwin Harbour shoreline to provide aid and call Triple 0 immediately.
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- The Guardian
A jolt back to life: after years of avoiding risk, I have decided to dive in and say yes
Years ago, I travelled to Weipa on the Cape York peninsula to run a week of writing workshops at a school. We flew in as the sun set, and by the time I left the small tin shed airport with the keys to the hire car, it was pitch black. I threw my bags on to the back seat and turned on my phone, discovering that my carrier didn't work in far north Queensland. There was no GPS in the car, no street directory tucked under the seat, and the other arrivals had already fled the bush airport and disappeared into the night. I gulped down the fear that was growing in my stomach as I realised that I had absolutely no idea where I was going, and no bars of reception to tell me. I turned the key in the ignition and drove the dusty road until I reached what I assumed was the highway. I had two options. Left or right. I turned left and tried to slow my breathing. There were no streetlights. Just the glow of the moon. I opened the window and immediately closed it again. And I kept driving, hoping to find a street sign that would tell me where to go. Ten or so minutes later, I reached the town of Weipa, which was smaller than I'd expected. I took every sidestreet until I finally found the pub where I was staying. Checking in, the woman at the front counter told me not to walk too far down the back of the property because of crocodiles and then explained the phones weren't working in the rooms and the wifi was patchy at best. I told her I had no mobile reception at all. It meant I couldn't text my family to let them know I'd arrived. As I lay in bed that night, with a creaky fan moving the soupy air around, I realised how long it had been since I'd felt so free. I had an accidental adventure, one I hadn't planned on, one I hadn't even understood I needed. And it made me remember what it was to be uncontactable, where I could make choices and take risks and be unwatched. When I was younger, I lived without constantly calculating risk and without the endless loop of danger scenarios running through my head. Those fears took up residence around the time I was heavily pregnant with my first child. The scenarios were fuelled by thinking, what if I wasn't enough as a mother, or what if something happened to me or my baby, and slowly morphed into a set of more generalised concerns, ranging from car accidents to plane crashes, serial killers to illnesses. Obviously, these weren't always rational, but they did sometimes wake me up in the middle of the night or even stop me finding sleep at all. When my partner died in 2020, the what-ifs amplified in volume, and I found them debilitating at times. As a single parent to two children, I felt the risks I could take were limited. I had to be around for them, so I couldn't just jump on a plane and take off on an unplanned adventure. But having nursed my partner through the final stages of cancer, I didn't want to feel scared any more. I wanted to feel brave and connected to the world. I wanted to feel connected to myself, and I wanted a jolt of life to shock me back from where I'd been operating as a carer. Prompted by the vows at a friend's wedding where they agreed to have no nos, and instead do the things they each wanted to do, I decided that instead of saying no to invitations that sparked fear and a what-if response, I'd dive in and say yes – simply because I was asked. In the past year, I've agreed to many fear-inducing events – because they are fear-inducing. I've presented on stage to thousands of students at a writers' festival and lived to tell the tale. I've gone to parties alone when I've known virtually no one and managed to talk to more than one stranger. I've been interviewed on ice-skates when I could barely let go of the side and grinned like a fool as I attempted to skate. It's not that I was particularly eager to do any of these things, it's that surviving them, by being scared, embarrassed or even just nervous, I feel present, like I'm still here. Taking risks is often thought of as a young person's game. A sort of rite of passage period between the teen years and adulthood. But there is much to be said for diving into the uncomfortable as we age. And of course, on the days I don't feel up to strapping on ice-skates, I temper all of this activity by lying in bed and watching movies, safe in my pyjamas with my cat curled on my lap. Nova Weetman is an award-winning children's author. Her memoir, Love, Death & Other Scenes, is published by UQP
