Australian Saltwater Crocodile Attacks
When food is within reach a saltwater crocodile attacks at an astonishing speed, the crocodile is capable of leaping its full body length out of the water vertically. When a crocodile has killed its prey and can't swallow it in one piece it will tear its victim to pieces by violently shaking it from side to side. The body of the victim is held above the waters surface and torn to pieces. When the victim is of a large size, the arms, legs and even the head are separated from the torso.
After the crocodile has managed this it will eat the pieces. Searchers looking for a crocodile victim will often find parts of the victims body and clothes, sometimes even in surrounding trees.
Crocodiles will eat carrion, although popular evidence seems to show they prefer recently killed prey. Folk tales say that a crocodile will store the body of its victim until it starts to rot but there is little evidence of this. Not all crocodile attacks are born of a need to eat, sometimes they happen by accident when the creature is run into or surprised out of the water.
Crocodiles injure people under several sets of circumstances:
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Territorial defense
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Nest defense
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Self defense
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Predation
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By accident
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In the course of handling by people
Recorded Crocodile Attacks
It is hard to find material on this subject. While living in Darwin for 11 years I recall three crocodile attacks two of which were fatal and one where the lady survived with massive injuries. I will now relate those three stories as I read in the paper and was told by locals of the area. I hope I have my facts right this is all from memory.
Kakadu
A woman was paddling a canoe down a waterway by herself (how she managed to do that without someone warning her is beyond me). Her canoe hit what she thought was a floating log. It turned out to be a large crocodile which then attacked and overturned the canoe.
The woman managed to swim to the muddy sides of the waterway and clawed her way up the steep bank only to be grabbed by the leg by the crocodile and dragged back into the water and put into a death roll.
For some reason the crocodile released the woman who , severely mauled made it back to the bank and again clawed her way up to the top. She was again seized by the crocodile by the other leg but this time she had hold of part of a tree ( a root or something). The crocodile mauled her again trying to pull her back into the water and again let go of her.
Severley injured the woman managed to crawl onto safe land and then through the bush where she was found and transported to hospital.
I knew two nursing staff at Darwin hospital at the time and the description of the womans injuries were horrific. She managed to keep her legs and after recovering stated that she did not want the crocodile harmed.
That crocodile reacted out of instinct, the truth of the matter is that the woman should not have been on the water in that area.
East Alligator Crossing Kakadu
A local man was fishing on the concrete barrage that vehicles use to cross the East Alligator River. A large black crocodile was known to frequent the area.
The man slipped and fell into the water in front of many witnesses. As he tried to swim to safety the crocodile swam up, took him by the head and swam away with his body in front of other people. His body was later recovered but the capture of the crocodile was prevented by local aborigines who regarded the crocodile as a totem and therefore sacred to them.
Boroloola Northern Territory
A man apparently fell asleep on the boat ramp on the river at Boroloola. He was taken by a large saltwater crocodile and his body recovered from the stomach of the crocodile when the crocodile was caught and killed.
Western Australia
A yacht entered a river system known as a habitat for large crocodiles. The yacht moored near a beautiful large waterfall that emptied into a saltwater river. An Canadian woman, dove into the water to swim to the waterfall and was attacked by a large crocodile.
Horrified, her friends watched helplessly as the crocodile swam away with their friend held above the water still alive. Her body was later recovered in the mangroves.
Again the woman entered the water. It is probably safe to assume that as she was from another country that she was unaware of the danger.
Other Attacks
Port Douglas Queensland 5 October 2001
An Australian girl has survived an attack by a salt water crocodile in Queensland. Taleesha Fagatilli was playing in the water when the six foot crocodile snapped her, dragging her into deeper water where it began a death roll. For some reason the croc then released eight-year-old Taleesha, who swam to safety. Screaming and bleeding, she managed to stagger back to her father who immediately rushed her to hospital where she had emergency surgery for deep bites and cuts to her chest, leg and arm. Her father, Bruno, said that the attack was completely unexpected in the shallow waters at Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas, in Queensland. Salt water crocodiles are the largest species of reptile and have been known to have killed twelve people in Australia over the past twenty years.
Weipa in the Gulf of Carpentaria Queensland
The 32-years old Peter Reimers, who was killed by a crocodile at Weipa in North-Queens land seems to be the victim of a characteristic encounter.
The police have investigated the shallow creek where he went to, where he undressed himself and finally bathed in to cool off. Close to the bank tracks were found of a large crocodile that was lying there and probably slid into the water silently as soon as it heard the man approaching. As soon as Reimers waded through the water he was seized and killed by the crocodile. If he was a hog or a wallaby the same thing would have happened to him.
Pindi Pindi Queensland 1933
A crocodile was responsible for killing 2 schoolgirls at Pindi Pindi, Queensland (Australia) in 1933. They disappeared after going to school on horseback - One girl was drowned, the body of the other girl was found in the crocodile's stomach. The crocodile was found and killed.
Crocodile Handler Killed 1994
A group of tourists watched in horror as a large crocodile killed his handler in a `death roll' at the Johnston River Crocodile Farm yesterday. The handler, who had two years experience with crocodiles, was inside the crocodiles enclosure. While tourists looked on, he tapped the crocodile with a rake. The 4.1m crocodile grabbed the handler by the upper arm and dragged him into the water. The crocodile rolled, taking the man's head and upper arm into its jaws. The man would have died instantly. One horrified tourist grabbed a pole and hit at the crocodile. Another grabbed hold of the victim's ankle and tried to pull him away. He said the crocodile was "just like a D7 bulldozer".
from Townsville Bulletin, 1994
Stratford Cairns 1983
On Tuesday evening last a terrible fate befell James Mason, aged 10 years. The father, Mr J E Mason of Stratford and his two bright healthy sons were bathing in the Barron River. They were in about 2 feet six of water. The sandy muddy spot was their favourite spot. They thought they were safe from crocodiles in the shallow water.
Suddenly came a splash. The mud was stirred up and the water lashed. The father's surprise turned to horror. He could not see his eldest boy, Jimmy. He threw the other child on the bank and dived where he had seen the splash. He found the boy and grasped his legs. Something more powerful was pulling the boy away. Then the father realised that a crocodile had taken his boy from his very side.
A few minutes later the crocodile rose to breathe in the middle of the river. In those fearful jaws was one leg of the unfortunate child.
from Cairns Post 21st January 1893.
Daintree River Queensland 1985
A woman was taken by a crocodile during a midnight swim in the Daintree River last night. Beryl Wruck, 43, disappeared without a sound as she splashed in the shallow creek. She and several other party-goers were cooling off after an evening of dancing and drinking.
"There was a huge swirl. I was pushed aside," said one of the swimmers who was standing next to Beryl. "Beryl went up in the air and over and then she was gone. There was no sound, no scream. It was so quick." The party-goers, all Daintree residents, knew that crocodiles had been seen in the creek. They thought they would be safe at low tide. The water was only 45cm deep.
Experts believe the attack was a typical crocodile ambush. Beryl, crouched down in the water, appeared to be a small prey for the 5m crocodile.
"I saw a long dark object with a scaley back rise to the surface of the water," said another swimmer. "She made no sound. There was no blood."
from Mossman Gazette December, 1985
Crocs shot in Daintree 1986
People have been shooting and baiting crocs in the Daintree River since Beryl Wruck disappeared, last December. "Dead crocodiles have been found in the river. Irresponsible shooters hit anything that moves" said one resident. Some people fear that the crocodile that took Beryl will attack again.
"All I want to do is catch the killer croc," said one of Beryl's friends. "I don't want to wipe them all out. " Tourist operators, who run crocodile-spotting cruises in the Daintree River, think that crocodiles should stay.
"People can live with crocodiles safely if they use commonsense," said one tour guide. "You just don't go into the water, especially not at night. Poor Beryl broke the rules. You cannot blame the crocodile."
from Mossman Gazette, February, 1986
Yorkeys Beach Cairns 1997
A 35 year old man was lucky to be alive after he survived a crocodile attack at Yorkeys Beach on Friday night. Ron Bakx suffered deep puncture wounds to the head, back and shoulder in the attack. Mr Bakx, still in shock, said he could not remember seeing the crocodile.
"I'd been at a break-up party and we carried on down to the beach. I went for a dip to cool off," he said. He was in waist deep water when he dived and felt a sudden 'chomp'.
"I felt myself being dragged along. I reckon I was in his mouth a few seconds, " he said. "I started lashing out - it was all pretty quick. I remember thinking `I'm a goner', but then the crocodile had gone."
Mr Bakx has lived in the far north for 10 years and admits swimming at night was a stupid thing to do. "Its their territory. I was doing the wrong thing. Its just one of those things, I guess. No one really thinks it will happen to them."
from Cairns Post, January, 1997
Cairns 1998
A 15 year old girl was mauled by a crocodile in Chinaman Creek, close to the Cairns city centre last night. The girl was at a `beer party' at a nearby camp. She went to the creek to swim when the 3m crocodile grabbed her leg. She was dragged underwater for several minutes. Then she caught hold of an overhead mangrove branch.
Two friends heard screams and raced to help. One young man climbed onto the branch and pulled her up by her hair. He passed her to the other man who had waded into the creek up to his chest. The crocodile still had the girl's legs in it's jaws. The man then had a `tug of war' with the crocodile as it tried to pull the girl under the water.
The other man yelled and splashed to distract the crocodile. The bleeding girl was finally hauled from the water. Police praised the men for their bravery. They said the attack highlighted the danger of swimming in or hanging around crocodile habitats. Food scraps from the camp are believed to have attracted the crocodile to the area.
from Cairns Post, 7 February, 1998
23 October 2002
Kakadu Northern Territory
Sandy Billabong south of Jabiru. According to a police spokesman shortly after the attack.
A group of tourists entered the water at Sandy Billabong despite Crocodile warning signs that were posted at and on the way to the Billabong.
It was at 11.30 at night and there was a full moon. It had been a hot day and the night was hot as well. The group were swimming about 10 metres from shore when one of the group felt something bump his leg, he then saw a large dark shape take the woman under the water.
The following day Wildlife officers found the womans body some 2 kilometres from the attack site. The Crocodile responsible was guarding the body, Wildlife officers harpooned the animal and killed it. A larger Crocodile was also in the same spot.
Although this is an incredibly sad thing for the girls family in Germany it is another attack that could have been avoided. Be aware that in Northern Australia that Saltwater Crocodiles are prolific in numbers and it is simply not worth the risk to swim in the creeks, rivers and billabongs.
Local people can play down the risk and the tourist brochures won't tell you much. Oz Magic the Web-Site wants our customers and visitors to Australia to go home with good memories not minus a leg, arm or to die in our country.
Crocodiles have not been hunted in Australia for over 30 years, the small crocodiles from 30 years ago are now large Crocodiles and there are plenty of them out there.
23rd October 2002
North Of Cooktown Queensland
On the same day as the above Kakadu fatality 2 men in a small aluminium boat were fishing north of Cooktown. A large 5 metre Crocodile approached the boat and showed interest. One of the men took a photo just before the crocodile attacked the boat slicing through the aluminium hull with its teeth. The men escaped unharmed.
As a rule Crocodiles don't attack boats, what prompted this particular Crocodile to do so is a mystery to the author of Oz Magic.
25th November 2002
Groote Eyelandt Gulf of Carpentaria
A 29 year old off duty Policeman was spearfishing off Groote Eyelandt when he felt a pain in his back. He then saw a Saltwater Crocodile swim past him from behind. He sought refuge on a coral outcrop and 10 minutes later he saw the Crocodile swim away. This guy was very lucky, the only injury he sustained was a 3 centimetre gash on his back.
Again this could have been avoided.
14th September 2003
Patonga Aboriginal community outstation, about 200km south-east of Darwin
A 10 year old Aboriginal girl felt a crocodile brush against her legs moments before being attacked in a Billabong near Potonga Community in the Northern Territory.
Theresa Richardson-Nagawalli suffering a 20cm gash and cuts to her right thigh. She said there was a big swirl of water before the crocodile attacked. "I saw something coming underneath my legs," she said. "And I sort of felt this rough thing on my leg."
The attack happened on Saturday in a billabong near the Patonga Aboriginal community outstation, about 200km south-east of Darwin.
Theresa's aunt, Elizabeth Ritchie, 33, said her niece and six other children had been swimming unsupervised just metres from the bank.
"The crocodile sort of surfaced right beside her," Ms Ritchie said. "She met him face to face and she looked him in the eye - that is a pretty scary experience. "Then it went under and bit her on the leg - then it quickly let her go."
Theresa swam to the edge and ran 100m to her house before she was airlifted to Darwin.
The 2.15 metre crocodile was shot and killed.
23rd December 2003
Finnis River 80 kilmetres south west of Darwin Northern Territory
3 Teenage boys quad biking stopped to wash the mud off themselves in the Finnis River which was flooding due to a recent cyclone. Brett Mann a diesel mechanic from Darwin slipped into deeper fast flowing water and his friends Shaun Blower & Ashley McGough swam to his aid.
Ashley and Shaun saw the 4 metre crocoile and Ashley screamed out a warning before he and Shaun climbed into the top of a tree that was partially underwater. Neither of them saw Brett taken but as they looked for their friend the Crocodile surfaced with Bretts body in it's mouth and seemingly waved the boys body in the direction of the other two while looking at them.
The Crocodile swam away with Brett. The Crocodile returned a short while later circling the tree and eyeing the boys trapped in the top of the tree. The boys spent the night in the tree before they were found by searchers and air winched by a helicopter to safety.
Authorities are still looking for Bretts body and the Crocodile.
There has been no report of either being found some 3 days after the attack.
Oz Magic offers our condolences to the family of Brett Mann.
Oz Magic Note:
The Finnis River is well known for being home to large Crocodiles. In the "dry season" the rivers dries up into a series of separate Billabongs with very high steep banks. In the "wet season" it can turn into a fast flowing river joining all the billabongs together.
The author of this section has been invited fishing on a property at Batchelor that the Finnis River runs through. After being shown the tiny 2 man boat he was to go fishing in Gary refused the invitation.
The Billabongs had a creepy feeling about them and the knowledge that large Crocodiles could be anywhere just made the fishing trip in a tiny 2 man wooden boat seem not worth the risk. A large crocodile could easily snatch a person from this boat as they sat in it.
Oz Magic urges all visitors and locals to start taking the threat of Crocodile attack seriously. They have been protected for over 30 years and in 30 years a Crocodile will grow to a very large size, which means there are numerous large Crocodiles in Northern Australia. With a little caution and common sense nearly all Crocodile attacks can be avoided.
11th October 2004
Far North Queensland
Bathurst Bay 250 klms north of Cooktown
Andrew Kerr was in a tent with his wife and baby 40 metres from water when he was dragged from the tent by a 4.2 metre Saltwater Crocodile. Mrs Kerr said she was awoken by a thud to see the Crocodile at the entrance to the tent just standing there. Andrew woke up and the Crocodile lunged and grabbed him by the legs dragging him out of the tent as his wife held onto his hand and their childs basinet the crocodile was dragging all of them out of the tent.
60 year old grandmother Alicia Sorohan and her husband alerted by the screams rushed to the nearby tent to see Andrew being dragged towards the water by the Crocodile. Mrs Sorohan immediately jumped onto the Crocodiles back and the Crocodile instantly turned and grabbed her by the arm, fortunately there was a gun handy and Alicia's son Jason shot the Crocodile in the back of the head ending the attack. Both victims suffered multiple wounds and were evacuated by helicopter after their radio distress signals were picked up by quarantine officers working in the area.
The male Crocodile was estimated to be around 50 years old. Had a gun not been available this could have turned into a tragedy.
If picture shrinks hold your mouse over pic and click on box that appears
17th August 2005
Lakefield National Park - Cape York Peninsula
60 year old Townsville railway shunter Barry Jeffries was dragged from a canoe while fishing with his wife in Lakefield National Park on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland. His wife Glenda swam to safety. Body has not yet been recovered but rangers have shot a large Saltwater Crocodile believed to be the animal responsible. Oz Magic advises that canoes are not suitable in tidal coastal areas anywhere in Northern Australia. Had these people not been in a canoe this attack might not have happened. 18/08/05 Updated news reports now say the Crocodile shot was not the one responsible so rangers are once again searching for the Crocodile.
26th September 2005
Picnic Beach - Groote Eylandt Gulf of Carpentaria
POLICE are hunting a four metre crocodile believed to have killed a British national who had been snorkelling off a remote Northern Territory island.
The body of 37-year-old mines superintendent Russell Harris was found yesterday morning after he failed to return from a snorkelling trip off Groote Eylandt, off Arnhem Land. Alyangula police said a saltwater crocodile had been sighted at the mouth of Eight Mile Creek, near where his body was found. Acting Senior Sergeant Stephen Pfitzner said Mr Harris may have been the victim of a crocodile attack, but this had not been confirmed. "Police advise the community that the crocodile may still be in the area and to take extra precautions if venturing into the waters around Groote Eylandt," he said.
Mr Harris' body was flown to Darwin today for a post mortem examination. A police spokeswoman said police would hunt the crocodile and attempt to move it to another location. Police said Mr Harris had been snorkelling with another man off rocks, about 100 metres north of Picnic Beach, on Saturday whilst their partners remained on the beach. At some point the two men became separated.
The other man last saw Mr Harris about 2pm, snorkelling about 20 metres from shore. He became concerned when Mr Harris still had not returned by 4pm, and he contacted police. After an extensive search, the 37-year-old's body was found early yesterday morning, about 1.5 km north of where he was last seen. Police did not reveal until later their belief that Mr Harris was killed by a crocodile.
29th September 2005
Coburg Penninsula Northern Territory
A 56 year old man scuba diving on the Coburg Penninsula was found dead with wounds consistent with being attacked by a large Crocodile.
9th July 2006
Crocodile takes young girl in Northern Territory
An eight-year-old girl is feared dead after being taken by a saltwater crocodile in the Northern Territory.
Police say the girl was fishing with her family in the Blythe River between Maningrida and Ramingining, in Arnhem Land, east of Darwin, when the attack occurred about 8.30pm (CST) Saturday.
"It's believed she went to the water's edge to collect water when she was taken," a spokeswoman said.
"Members of the tactical response section and parks and wildlife rangers will be attending the area to search for the girl and attempt to harpoon the crocodile." The spokeswoman said they had not been able to ascertain where the girl was from, with the family fishing from a small outstation on the river. It was not known how large the crocodile was, but it was likely the girl had not survived the attack, police said.
A police spokeswoman later said the search was unlikely to start until nightfall. She said police tactical response officers and parks and wildlife rangers were still travelling from Darwin to the remote search site. "They'll look at searching on dark - that tends to be a better time to look for crocodiles," she said.
A spokesman for the Northern Territory's environment department said senior wildlife officers had left Darwin just after midday.
"Normally what happens is the location and recovery of the body is first and foremost priority," he said."Then, of course, it is to determine which particular crocodile might have been responsible for this.
"If the crocodile is able to be isolated and identified it becomes a decision whether to relocate it to a crocodile farm or if it's likely to pose a threat, killing it might be an alternative option as well."
8th November 2006
Cape Tribulation Belgian Tourist Bitten
A Belgian tourist was bitten on the knee today by a 2 metre saltwater crocodile at Cape Tribulation north of Cairns. The man was attempting to obtain a photo of the crocodile and despite crocodile warning signs in the area he splashed the water to attract the crocodile closer to get the photo. The crocodile charged out of the water and bit him on the knee. The man is recovering in hospital.
8th January 2007
An off duty police man was attacked by a 3 metre crocodile while snorkeling with his wife on a reef off Thursday Island north of Cape York Queensland. The crocodile attacked him, dragged him under the water and then released him. Sergeant Jeff Tanswell survived the attack.
9th January 2007
Kerry York attacked twice by an unidentified species of Crocodile at Kununurra in the Northern Territory. Kerry survived the attack relatively unscathed requiring stitches to wounds and not requiring hospitalisation.
30th September 2008
An elderly man is suspected killed by a large crocodile this morning. 62 year old Vietnam veteran Arthur Booker had been camping with his wife near the banks of the Endeavour River when the man went to check crabpots about 8.30am. When he had not returned by 10.00am the mans wife went to the river bank to find a broken crab pot rope, the mans video camera on the ground and large crocodile slide marks in the mud. Authorities are still searching for the mans body. A number of 4 metre saltwater crocodiles have been sight in the area. It is believed the couple were from Brisbane, the man's wife is being treated for shock in hospital.
2nd October 2008 update
Searchers looking for Mr Booker have found two of his sandals and his wristwatch, the search continues. Charlie a 5 metre saltwater crocodile who lives in the area is the prime suspect but two crocodile nesting sites have been found only 400 metres from where Mr Booker disappeared. Mr Bookers family have flown to Cooktown to give support to Mrs Booker and to assist in the search. Spokesman for the family says they are still hoping for a miracle.
13th October 2008 update
Adult human male remains have been found in one of three large saltwater crocodiles caught in the area where Arthur Booker disappeared. Police say further DNA testing is being conducted.
8th February 2009 - 9.30am
5 year old Jeremy Doble taken by a large crocodile in the Daintree River Queensland. The attack was witnessed by the victims brother who raised the alarm with their father. The crocodile is suspected to be a crocodile called “Goldie” a dominant male living in a swamp near the families home. No trace of Jeremy has been found yet.
March 2009
Eleven year old girl taken by a large crocodile while swimming at Black Jungle Billabong near Darwin while with friends. Billabong is a permit only area they were not supposed to be there. Her remains were found later
March 18 2010
Diver attacked by crocodile and survived. He was attacked by a 3 metre crocodile while diving for trepang on the remote Coburg Penninsular. Fellow divers pulled him aboard the boat after he was attacked and he was taken to Darwin Hospital.
February 6th 2011
Man fights off 2.5 metre saltwater crocodile by punching it many times after it grabbed his other arm at Beening Creek at Napranum near Weipa in North Queensland. Area is well known to have a lot of Saltwater Crocodiles resident.
February 20th 2011
Milingimbi Island Northern Territory
A 14 year old boy was taken by a saltwater crocodile while playing at a creek with his brothers. There has been no sign of the boy despite a search by community members.
9th March 2011
A fisherman has survived a crocodile attack by clinging to mangroves in a creek in far north Queensland, police said. Twenty eight-year-old mine worker Todd Bairstow was fishing on the bank of Trunding Creek, Weipa, about 4pm yesterday when the crocodile attacked.
25th May 2011
A dentist from Broome fishing for Barramundi from his dinghy was baiting his hook to fish when a 2.5 metre Saltwater crocodile launched itself from the water beside his boat and latched onto his shoulder at Secure Bay 270 kilometres from Derby. The man survived with deep puncture wounds and tearing in his right shoulder. He presumed the crocodile let go of him because he elbowed it in the throat with his free arm.
7th December 2011
The remains of a snorkeler that disappeared off Bushy Island Cape York in Queenslands far north have been recovered. Police have stated the injuries sustained by the victim were consistent with the attack of a Saltwater Crocodile rather than a shark.
3rd April 2012
Dugong Bay Western Australia (remote Kimberleys north of Derby)
Tara Hawkes 23 was bitten by what is believed to be a 2 metre Saltwater Crocodile while getting back on a boat after swimming. She was dragged onboard by other passengers which probably saved her life.
Oz Magic Note:
Dr Graham Webb the Northern Territory's leading expert on Saltwater Crocodiles recently stated that Saltwater Crocodile numbers have returned to the numbers found 200 years ago. All visitors to tropical areas in Northern Australia should use extreme caution when near water in Northern Australia.