Moments after a man was assaulted at a well-known tourist destination in the Northern Territory, a saltwater crocodile began “charging” at a young couple.
Yesterday, the tourists were swimming at Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park in the middle of the day without realizing that a 2.4-meter saltwater crocodile was waiting below the water’s surface.
I was immediately alarmed when I heard people shouting, “There’s a croc, there’s a croc,” said Meghan Bennett.
“All I could see was its head. It was roughly 15 meters away from me at that time.
In Royal Darwin Hospital, a 67-year-old man who was bitten on the arm is still in a stable condition.
Bennett and her partner Joel, though, were nearly two more casualties.
Video depicts the pair climbing up a waterfall’s bank to get away from the crocodile.
We kind of noticed it coming our way, charging at us and becoming faster, she said.
In order to save the trapped couple, a group of visitors from South Africa boarded a tinnie.
“When we got back, it was such a relief there was a lot of people still hanging around,” she continued.
Authorities in the Northern Territory reported today that the male saltwater crocodile had died overnight.
The pool is still locked up.
Before it reopens, additional crocodile surveys will be conducted.
While we are doing the crocodile surveys, please respect any restrictions and refrain from entering the water, according to Dean McAdam, director of the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security. “Public safety is our top priority,” he added.
We do a lot of effort to lower the risk of crocodiles in the management zones, but there is always a potential they could enter a location undetected.
Following this most recent attack and the discovery of a crocodile at Bitter Springs the previous week, the chief minister of the Northern Territory has also hinted at making a formal approach to the Commonwealth to begin a discussion regarding the restarting of culling in the Top End.
“We had about 3,000 crocodiles when culling stopped in the NT in the 1970s; there are now estimated to be about 100,000 crocodiles,” Natasha Fyle said.
