Small croc removed from Qld creek after unusual feast
Savannah Meacham |
A small but mighty crocodile spotted feasting on an unusual diet of sandwiches had to be relocated after becoming too chummy with far north Queenslanders.
Wildlife officers in Ingham were called by a member of the public who saw a small crocodile approach someone at a local creek.
“We found a small crocodile laying at the edge of the pond and its behaviour indicated it had been fed by people,” wildlife officer Ella Meeve told AAP.
Ms Meeve said bits of bread and leftover sandwiches were seen discarded around the creek where the one-metre crocodile was found.
The animal had become too comfortable with people, which meant officers had to remove it from Palm Creek to a licensed farm.
“The crocodile was a risk to public safety,” Ms Meeve said.
Feeding crocodiles, even small ones, is risky because they become used to people and will always approach under the belief there might be food.
“If that crocodile remained there it would continue to grow bigger and impose an even bigger risk to the public,” she said.
“If people hadn’t fed this crocodile, it would still remain in the wild.”
More crocodiles are moving around in the region due to recent floodwaters thanks to back-to-back cyclones Jasper and Kirrily.
“We do see a lot more movement of crocodiles as there’s the increasing water and it enables crocodiles to move a lot more through the area,” Ms Meeve said.
Ms Meeve urged locals and visitors in far north Queensland not to approach or feed crocodiles for their own safety and the animal’s life in the wild.
AAP