Croc takes young girl

[tropicana]

Sat Jul 8 2006
Darwin, Australia

AN eight-year-old girl has been taken by a crocodile while on a fishing trip with her family on the banks of a remote Northern Territory river.

The girl was grabbed by a saltwater crocodile about 9 o'cock on Saturday night and dragged into the Blythe River. The area lies between Maningrida and Ramingining in Arnhem Land about 580km east of Darwin.

Police said the girl was collecting water from the river's edge when the crocodile struck.

It was not known whether the girl was a local, or how large the crocodile was. Searchers, including members from Darwin's Tactical Response Section and Parks and Wildlife rangers, combed the area with spotlights Saturday night in hope of finding the girl's body or the crocodile. Night time tends to be a better time to look for crocodiles.

A spokesman for the Northern Territory's environment department said recovery of the body "is first and foremost priority Then, of course, it is to determine which particular crocodile might have been responsible for this," he said.
"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."

It was the first deadly crocodile attack this year.
Last September, two men were killed in attacks within a week of each other.
Russell Butel, 55, was killed while diving near Vashon Head on Cobourg Peninsula. The crocodile crushed his head.
Russell Harris, 37, was taken by a 4m saltwater crocodile while snorkeling off Groote Eylandt. Both men's bodies were retrieved.

Crocodiles are big and dangerous animals. It is a tragic accident and would have been all over in an instant. There had always been a lot of salties in this area. About seven or eight years ago a guy was collecting water in a billy can and was grabbed by the arm by a croc in the same area. Fortunately, he survived.

We have been co-existing with crocodiles for some time now, and there's always a risk when you are near croc-infested waters. "It's like running through an amber light. You can do it 20 times, but the 21st time someone could take you out.


It is estimated that there are close to 70,000 salt water crocodiles living in Northern Territory.
-justin-

[Derek Ortt]

what were her parents smoking? a little girl fishing on the banks of aman eating croc river?

[Aslkahuna]

Well this time of year, it usually becomes a choice of fishing or not fishing sine that might have been the only river with water still left in it as the Dry Season is well in progress in the north of Australia.

Steve

[O Town]

She was not fishing she was collecting water.

Police said the girl was collecting water from the river's edge when the crocodile struck.

Still not very smart on the parents part to send the 8 year old to get the water at 9 at night when Crocs are on the prowel. I know I wouldn't even have choosen that kind of fishing trip if I were going with my kids, let alone send out the child to the river bank at NIGHT to collect water.

[conestogo_flood]

It's Australia, life is different.

They just didn't think what could happen, and now they have to live with themselves knowing what they did. They aren't celebrating, and that is what your posts sound like.

[Aslkahuna]

That would imply that they were camping and that was the only water source they had and being 8 years old, maybe she got thirsty and the water needed to be collected so that she could have a drink of water. From what I've read and seen photos about that part of Australia, it's all fairly remote and sparsely settled. For comparison, think of the Arizona desert about 100 years ago.

Steve

[AussieMark]

exactly steve

apart from Darwin Northern Territory is very remote.

those saltwater crocs are very scary creatures

The saltwater or estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest of all living reptiles, and is often said to be the most dangerous to humans. It is found in suitable habitat throughout Southeast Asia and northern Australasia.

This crocodile is an opportunistic predator capable of taking any animal up to the size of a water buffalo, in the water or on dry land. Juveniles are restricted to smaller items such as insects, amphibians, crustaceans, small reptiles and fish. The larger the animal grows, the greater the variety of items that it includes in the diet, although relatively small prey still make up the majority of the diet even in adults. Saltwater crocodiles can take monkeys, wild boar, dingos, domestic livestock, water buffalo, big cats, sharks and any human who fails to take sensible measures. Generally very lethargic – a trait which helps it survive months at a time without food – it typically loiters in the water or basks in the sun through much of the day, usually preferring to hunt at night. It is, however, capable of moving with astonishing speed when required, able to cover 10m from a standing start significantly faster than a race horse, especially from the edge of the water, where both legs and tail are utilsed for propulsion. As an ambush predator, it usually waits for its prey to get close to the water's edge before striking without warning and using its great strength to drag the animal back into the water where it is usually drowned (although if there is more than one croc about, it may be simply dismembered). It is an imensely powerful animal, having the strength to break a large animal's legs with its tail, drag a fully grown water buffalo into a river or crush a full-grown bovid's skull between its jaws.

Adult male saltwater crocodiles are typically 5 metres (17 ft) long, although larger individuals may surpass 6 metres (20 ft) or 7 metres (23 ft) in length and weigh more than 1000 kg (2200 lb). Average sized males weigh around 450 kg (1000 lb). Females are much smaller than males, with typical female body lengths in the range of 2.5–3 metres. The largest crocodile ever recorded was 8 metres 64cm (28ft 4 inches) shot by school teacher (later conservationist) Krystina Pawloski on the Norman River in northern Queensland, Australia in 1957.

Saltwater crocodiles generally spend the tropical wet season in freshwater swamps and rivers (making the name something of a misnomer), moving downstream to estuaries in the dry season, and sometimes travelling far out to sea. Crocodiles compete fiercely with each other for territory, with dominant males in particular occupying the most eligible stretches of freshwater creeks and streams. Junior crocodiles are thus forced into the more marginal river systems and sometimes into the ocean. This explains the large distribution of the animal (ranging from the east coast of India to northern Australia) as well as it being found in odd places on occasion (such as the Sea of Japan, for instance).