Girl missing, feared taken by croc in NT

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There ya go...local.
I've looked at croc attacks recently because I have been checking up on a few things I have been told lately. From talking to people who are experts on the animals too, one a TO ranger at Pajinka, who claims to have 'raised' a 19-20foot wild croc over the last 15 years (its older than 15yrs) and which lives on a island only visited by TO's.And after spending a couple of days with Rob Bredl learning from him.
Croc attacks can be hard to check because how many go unreported? These would mainly be attacks on TO's. But out of 39 since the late 80's that I have looked at the majority of the attacks have been on locals, either black or white.
The Pajinka ranger claims that the crocs know the blackfellers and won't attack them, they know if they get a bit naughty they will get speared or shot, so they leave the TO's alone. I am not convinced, and though we had a good yarn with many laughs and some serious bits too, I reckon he was pushing it a bit for the white tourists sake.

It seems that more people are getting taken recently, than in previous years. A few years ago we had the largest rainfall ever recorded
in the Top End. My theory is that the floodwaters reached areas that had previously never seen large amounts of water, this allowed crocs to move into areas that people who have lived there for eons would never expect crocs to inhabit. Also of course there are many more crocs around these days because there is no culling.
I guess more indigenous people live side by side with crocs and are more likely to come face to face with them.
 
It seems that more people are getting taken recently, than in previous years. A few years ago we had the largest rainfall ever recorded
in the Top End. My theory is that the floodwaters reached areas that had previously never seen large amounts of water, this allowed crocs to move into areas that people who have lived there for eons would never expect crocs to inhabit. Also of course there are many more crocs around these days because there is no culling.
I guess more indigenous people live side by side with crocs and are more likely to come face to face with them.

Another possibility, is now that crocks arent hunted willy-nilly there are more living longer and therefore getting bigger and greater numbers?
 
The whole concept that a shark attack at bondi beach with a crocodile attack is ludacris. Sharks arn't nearly as dangerous as croc's hense the reason you will never see people swim with them for recreation.

Its not the parents, it's not the child herself and it's not the crocodile. IMO
 
Another possibility, is now that crocks arent hunted willy-nilly there are more living longer and therefore getting bigger and greater numbers?

Many factors,all combining.
Huge increase in the population of the far north.
Crocs increasing in size and numbers.
Recent times of big rainfall.
Vast increase in large animal food sources. When wallabies were the biggest food source available, it didn't make sense for crocs to get much bigger than 4m. With camels, cows, pigs, goats etc, there is more reason for crocs to get bigger and more food to help them grow. People talk about crocs returning to pre-hunting numbers but back then, all they had to eat was fish, birds and the occasional wallaby.
Lack of culling. I don't mean modern culling. Back in the day, the indiginous inhabitants would have had no hesitation in killing a croc that invaded their local waterhole.

Lachie, really?
So people should only swim below Gladstone?
What about fishing? A croc could very easilly swamp a 4m tinny.
Sharks are every bit as dangerous as crocs. We just like to fool ourselves that what we are doing is safe.
 
The whole concept that a shark attack at bondi beach with a crocodile attack is ludacris. Sharks arn't nearly as dangerous as croc's hense the reason you will never see people swim with them for recreation.

Its not the parents, it's not the child herself and it's not the crocodile. IMO

That comparison was made to show that you cannot blame the parents for letting a child swim in an area where there have never been croc or shark attacks in living memory

So maybe its not as 'ludacris' [ludicrous] as you think

I completely agree with your last sentence
 
Lachie, really?
So people should only swim below Gladstone?
What about fishing? A croc could very easilly swamp a 4m tinny.
Sharks are every bit as dangerous as crocs. We just like to fool ourselves that what we are doing is safe.

No, but maybe more in swimming pools I believe.

The comparison as I now see it makes sense. However as I originally saw it this morning made no sense comparing a beach with 50 thousand people every day to a river in NT.

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Lachie, really?
So people should only swim below Gladstone?
What about fishing? A croc could very easilly swamp a 4m tinny.
Sharks are every bit as dangerous as crocs. We just like to fool ourselves that what we are doing is safe.

No, but maybe more in swimming pools I believe.

The comparison as I now see it makes sense. However as I originally saw it this morning made no sense comparing a beach with 50 thousand people every day to a river in NT. Sorry for the mistake
 
I don't go swimming unless I can see the bottom or the are large groups of people in known swimming hole i know that it is still a risk as most of the swimming hole have close to heavy populated croc areas. I have been woken up to little indigenous kids jumping in to the daly river ( known for crocs) at 2 in the morning! Each to their own i guess. I fell sorry for the little girl as she will never know what she could have become!

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The human population is/has also increased dramatically.

Arnhem Land has a fairly stable population. When the Health people win their battle to increase health and longevity there will be a population explosion and a new crisis. Such is life.
 
Arnhem Land has a fairly stable population. When the Health people win their battle to increase health and longevity there will be a population explosion and a new crisis. Such is life.
Ah, but that's why we have the crocs :)
 
I guess we will just have to go and brick all the crocks?

Also brick the tourists.....

Oh, and of course, brick the locals! ;) (especially the locals! :shock:):lol:
 
I Was fishing in Anhem land a couple of years ago my first time in the top end and fairly nervous about crocs only to see an indigenous family, kids splashing around and mum casting a net knee deep in the water. First off I thought they were crazy then I thought to myself who am I in their country to be critical of what looked like a relaxing day out for the family and some tucker that evening.
A couple of years ago a father was taken by a great white at my local beach while diving for crabs with his son. I weighed up what I perceived to be the risks of it happening again and went in two days later, got a good feed of crabs and a few mouthfuls from beach goers for my stupidity.
Point is we all take risks to varying degrees and at 11-12 years old I had free run of my neighbourhood we did some bloody stupid things but came out for the most part unscathed. We spent entire school holidays exploring the underground drainage systems under the town. There were huge yabbies in there that we deemed safe to eat seeing as they could survive in the drains anyway. Nowadays they are all heavily padlocked and caged and entry is only with full weather reports, gas testing, confined space permits and blahdy blah.
If something had happened no doubt the parenting skills of my folks would have been bought into question. But seeing as we turned out all right they did a good job by not wrapping us in cotton wool.

Any death is tragic particularly when kids are involved but we need to live our lives and weigh up our own decisions and let our kids bump heads, scrape knees and even break the occasional bone with a bit of luck thats all it will lead too but tragedies do occur and always will.
 
Ah, but that's why we have the crocs :)

sad but true

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I Was fishing in Anhem land a couple of years ago my first time in the top end and fairly nervous about crocs only to see an indigenous family, kids splashing around and mum casting a net knee deep in the water. First off I thought they were crazy then I thought to myself who am I in their country to be critical of what looked like a relaxing day out for the family and some tucker that evening.
A couple of years ago a father was taken by a great white at my local beach while diving for crabs with his son. I weighed up what I perceived to be the risks of it happening again and went in two days later, got a good feed of crabs and a few mouthfuls from beach goers for my stupidity.
Point is we all take risks to varying degrees and at 11-12 years old I had free run of my neighbourhood we did some bloody stupid things but came out for the most part unscathed. We spent entire school holidays exploring the underground drainage systems under the town. There were huge yabbies in there that we deemed safe to eat seeing as they could survive in the drains anyway. Nowadays they are all heavily padlocked and caged and entry is only with full weather reports, gas testing, confined space permits and blahdy blah.
If something had happened no doubt the parenting skills of my folks would have been bought into question. But seeing as we turned out all right they did a good job by not wrapping us in cotton wool.

Any death is tragic particularly when kids are involved but we need to live our lives and weigh up our own decisions and let our kids bump heads, scrape knees and even break the occasional bone with a bit of luck thats all it will lead too but tragedies do occur and always will.

100% agree. Maybe they'll even develop an immune system, (you get bugger all at birth.) The countreymen I know love their kids like life itself. But they are given the same sort of freedom I had as a kid. (broke skin. broke bones) I weep for this generation of Aussie kids, sanitised houses, sanitised schools, sterile lives. But thats Mexico forya!
 
I Was fishing in Anhem land a couple of years ago my first time in the top end and fairly nervous about crocs only to see an indigenous family, kids splashing around and mum casting a net knee deep in the water. First off I thought they were crazy then I thought to myself who am I in their country to be critical of what looked like a relaxing day out for the family and some tucker that evening.
A couple of years ago a father was taken by a great white at my local beach while diving for crabs with his son. I weighed up what I perceived to be the risks of it happening again and went in two days later, got a good feed of crabs and a few mouthfuls from beach goers for my stupidity.
Point is we all take risks to varying degrees and at 11-12 years old I had free run of my neighbourhood we did some bloody stupid things but came out for the most part unscathed. We spent entire school holidays exploring the underground drainage systems under the town. There were huge yabbies in there that we deemed safe to eat seeing as they could survive in the drains anyway. Nowadays they are all heavily padlocked and caged and entry is only with full weather reports, gas testing, confined space permits and blahdy blah.
If something had happened no doubt the parenting skills of my folks would have been bought into question. But seeing as we turned out all right they did a good job by not wrapping us in cotton wool.

Any death is tragic particularly when kids are involved but we need to live our lives and weigh up our own decisions and let our kids bump heads, scrape knees and even break the occasional bone with a bit of luck thats all it will lead too but tragedies do occur and always will.

Well said.....:)

This was a sad thing that happened and yes.....people are going to want to blame someone/something. Some are quick to blame the parents/child for their "irresponsible actions", others are quick to blame the croc "it should be killed, it killed a child". Point is, no one was to blame in this instance, it was a tragic accident that may or may not have been avoided.....we will never know, we are just speculating on something that was read in a news article.....we weren't there.

We share this planet with a number of different species whether they be domestic animals, wild, predatory....it's a fact and we, as the "intellectual" species of the planet, just need to be more aware of our surroundings.......just saying.
 
Some of the registered attacks that I looked at also described the events as well, where possible (eg- if there were eyewitnesses).
It seems to me at this stage, that crocs have generalised behaviour patterns, but every now again you will get a bad boy.
I found that any wild croc I was close too, that was under 2.5 meters was spooked by me either in my tinnie or on foot, and would take off and run from me. So I think ok, if there under 2.5m they aren't a problem. Then I read about one attack that was on a bloke in his boat where a 2m croc launched into the boat and grabbed him on the shoulder. he had to fight if off, and he did and survived, but it makes you wonder.
There were other accounts that made my hairs stand on end when I read them, one on a 13-14yr old boy who got taken while mucking around a river with his mates. His mates didn't realise he had been taken but this croc pops up close to them with their mate in its mouth dead and looks at them, slowly swimming past them and off with their buddy. This same scene has happened with other attacks too. Not a nice moment in time for the witnesses.
Most attacks, probably could have been avoided though, simply by just not going in the water. One in the Barron river where a group of party goers decided to go in to cool off on a hot night. Water was only 2ft deep, a large croc simply got right in amongst the group grabbed a woman and just carried her away. She was killed.
I heard heaps of people tell me I would be right in my boat, and I was. But fishing one day off the tip of Cape York (Roonga pt)a very large salty popped up about 50ft away (looking straight at us) went under, then came up again 25 ft away, went back under, (by now I had the anchor up) about 30ft away there was an almighty tail slash which was bigger then my 4m tinny and then a croc popped up about 15 ft away from the splash looking directly at us, with its back out of the water it came in and was coming fast. So i got the motor going and got out. It was definatly the biggest croc I have ever seen, circa 16-18ft conservatively. Not sure wether there was just one, or two there fighting, but I heard from the croc tent that one of their friends boat had been acted menacingly towards by a smaller female the day before, so there may have been a nest site nearby.
The more I learn about them the more respect I have for them and a big part of that is that they can be predictable to a point, with the odd one doing things that aren't considered 'normal' behaviour.
 
I am pretty sure that crocks are so smart and so cunning.... they are aware of thier own size and the size of the prey 'you' and stategise as to whether they can handle prey your size.... or not... and they are quite happy to back down (or run away) if they think they wont be able to defeat the prey. I think they are also smart enough to know that a person in a boat, is just that... the boat/canoe is not part of the food.... it is just like a 'wrapper' to us, with food inside.
 
I did a two day canoeing camping trip down the Johnstone river a few years back and canoed through deep sections where large crocs have often been seen. In one section it was straight out spooky and I felt very vulnerable in the canoe (which crocs have been known to attack) in this one particular spot where the dirt banks were completely vertical and there was no way you could climb up them if it all went horribly wrong. My friend up from Sydney who was in the front of this two man canoe was quite happy to just float there forever and flick his lures. I just wanted get the @#$% out of there. Mind you I lived in that area and did enough croc spotting with the previous owner of the local croc farm to know what lived there, and in good numbers.
 
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