Daily London
A 4.9-metre saltwater crocodile has been spotted near a popular swimming spot in the Northern Territory at the height of the wet season.
Rangers were doing routine inspections of crocodile traps downstream of Wangi Falls in the Litchfield National Park, about 150km south of Darwin, when they found the massive crocodile inside.
In comparison, the largest saltwater in captivity in the world was Cassius in Far North Queensland at 5.5 metres.
Wildlife rangers safely removed the crocodile and relocated it to a crocodile farm.
NT Parks and Wildlife said it was a timely reminder to only swim in designated waters.
Wangi Falls is typically closed for the wet season.
“Where the risk is too high, we close, because public safety is paramount,” Parks and Wildlife senior executive director Neva McCartney said.
Rangers have captured seven crocodiles in the Northern Territory so far this year as part of routine wet season risk management, which is an average figure around this time.
Last year, 241 saltwater crocodiles were captured across the territory.
Parks and Wildlife Minister Marie-Clare Boothby said exceptional wet season rainfall has driven increased crocodile movement, with waterways expanding and connecting earlier than usual.
“Our crocodile management teams and park rangers are on the ground every day responding to reports, installing and checking traps, and conducting day and night surveys to keep Territorians and visitors safe,” she said.
“Our government has strengthened crocodile management capacity through additional staff, new traps and upgraded infrastructure, allowing faster responses to sightings and earlier reopening of popular parks and swimming spots when it is safe to do so.”
Residents or visitors in the Northern Territory are advised to be Crocwise and report a sighting to Parks and Wildlife.
