Monster croc shot in Gunbalanya after posing a threat to kids
A MONSTER 4.5m saltwater crocodile has been shot in the Gunbalanya community, after fears it might have snatched a child playing in nearby waterways.
Northern Territory
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A MONSTER 4.5m saltwater crocodile has been shot in the Gunbalanya community, after fears it might have snatched a child playing in nearby waterways.
Gunbalanya teacher Dan McLaren, who works in a learning on country program, said Traditional Owners had shot the crocodile on the road from Gunbalanya to Maningrida near a place locally known as “Kerrk Kerrk”.
“It was a large crocodile that could have posed a risk. Some families go and swim in that area in the shallows,” he said.
“It was just outside community about a k’ out on the road just next to a creek.
“It ended up being about four and a half metres roughly.
“It’s not something you see every day, a few people have been going to check it out.”
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Mr McLaren said it was not uncommon to see crocodiles in the area, but the sheer size of this one and the fact it had been left on the road made it a bit of a novelty.
“There was one shot in the area a few years ago which was larger than this one. That one was shot because it was getting a bit close to kids while it was out fishing,” he said.
“The billabong is full of crocodiles and in the Wet they spread out in the waterways.
“They all come back to the billabong in the Dry.”
Other pictures have emerged online of children lining up next to the croc as if to measure it up.
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“Every now and then you get crocodiles walking down the street to get to the billabong. You could see crocodiles any day if you wanted one, but not so often do you find dead ones on the road,” Mr McLaren said.
I just went out to check it out, just as many others had been doing.
“I’m sure some people were getting all sorts of interesting pictures of it.”
Originally published as Monster croc shot in Gunbalanya after posing a threat to kids
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