THE search is on for a Top End saltwater crocodile that attacked a group of four people fishing at night last week.
A 32-year-old New South Wales man was injured after a croc – possibly five metres long – jumped out of the water into their boat.
“[He] was fishing on the South Alligator river with three friends in a boat on the night of April 24,” an NT Health spokesperson confirmed.
“A crocodile launched into the boat, attacking his seat and injuring the man.”
The Wollongong man and his friends are believed to have stopped on the river to cook dinner onboard when the crocodile attacked.
Crocodile expert Adam Britton told the ABC crocodiles were capable of pushing themselves out of water but said incidents of this kind were “incredibly rare”.
“Big crocs can push themselves out of the water, especially if they’ve got something to rest against like the side of a boat,” he said.
“Apparently, this crocodile actually pushed itself over the gunnels and bit the seat that the guy was sitting in.”
Dr Britton said he had not seen the damaged boat but that rangers would have estimated the size of the crocodile based on the damage to the boat seat and injuries to the victim.
In a statement, Parks Australia said it had been made aware of the incident and that its wildlife operations team was currently searching for the crocodile.
Parks Australia is encouraging visitors to be “crocwise” when near Kakadu’s waterways.
Source: ABC News
