Man, dog attacked by crocodile south of Cooktown

Locals in the far north Queensland spot where a man and his dog were attacked by a crocodile on Wednesday say there is a ‘big new croc’ in the river.

The Rescue 510 helicopter crew at Cairns Hospital. Picture: Brendan Radke

A man is recovering in hospital after he was bitten by a crocodile in Far North Queensland.

It’s understood the 37-year-old, who is thought to be travelling around Queensland, had taken his dog down to have a drink of water at the Bloomfield boat ramp, about 60km south of Cooktown, when the croc lunged out of the water and bit him on the leg about 5.30pm on Wednesday.

The croc dragged the man back into the notoriously crocodile infested waters of Bloomfield River, but he managed to escape.

General manager of the Jabalbina Aboriginal community Josh Paterson said one of his rangers watched the whole ordeal take place.

“The man was taking his dog down to the boat ramp to let it have a drink when the croc attacked,” he said.

#Bloomfield Retrieval Services Qld. (RSQ) has tasked the Cairns rescue helicopter to Wujal clinic to retrieve a male person who has suffered a bite to the lower leg area from a crocodile near the Bloomfield boat ramp around 1733hrs. Patient reported to be in a stable condition. pic.twitter.com/TwUlHYrcxr

— Queensland Ambulance (@QldAmbulance) February 22, 2023

“The croc grabbed the man by the leg and dragged him in but he managed to get away from its grip and the dog also got away.”

Mr Paterson said his ranger acted quickly to save the man.

“She could see there was someone in distress at the river and it was really lucky cause we had just finished our first aid training.

“She is obviously pretty shook up about the whole thing. She got awarded ranger of the month for the region last month and I’ve told her she will definitely be in the running again this month.”

Mr Paterson said his ranger reported the croc was “reasonably big.”

The Rescue 510 helicopter at Cairns Hospital. Picture: Brendan Radke

On January 9, Mr Paterson had issued a warning via the ‘Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council’ Facebook page stating: “Be careful near the boat ramp and surrounds, There is a crocodile there!”

“The boat ramp where the man was attacked was downstream to where we saw the croc, so I don’t know if it’s the croc people have been complaining about,” he said.

“I was shocked when I found out, I thought someone had been taken completely.”

The man received treatment at the Wujal Wujal clinic, south of Cooktown, while waiting for the Rescue 510 chopper to arrive.

He was eventually flown to Cairns with a serious leg injury in a stable condition.

A Department of Environment and Science spokesman said they investigating the incident.

A large crocodile was spotted in the area on January 31, as seen in a Facebook video.

Bloomfield local Billy Dunn is on the Bloomfield River most days and said the croc responsible for Wednesday’s attack was a newcomer to the area scoping out new territory.

“There is a big new croc in the river and he is a big nasty bugger,” he said.

“He has just been watching everybody and there has been a lot of roadworks, so there have been a lot of people around. I see him all the time because I am on the river a lot.”

The Bloomfield fisherman said the man that got bitten was not a local and new boat ramp facilities had drawn many from outside the area to the notoriously croc infested river.

“We don’t think he is a local,” he said. “People that don’t live here take it all for granted. Locals know, but if you are not in the know there is more risk involved.

“There are always a lot of crocs in this river and last year we counted nine crocs over 4m between the river mouth and waterfall.”

Cooktown mayor Peter Scott said he was grateful the man survived.

“We thank god that he wasn’t killed,” Mr Scott said.

“Once you come up to Far North Queensland you are in a lot of natural environments. … there’s a lot of natural wildlife around and you just have to be aware when you come up here there are crocs in the Bloomfield area.”

Mr Scott urged people walking around those areas to be wary and to stay alert.

“Here in Cooktown we’ve got a facebook page called Cooktown Croc watch which everyone looks at. A lot of people take their dogs for a walk, but if anyone notices one they can let others know.”

A Department of Environment and Science spokesman said the Bloomfield River was well known croc country.

“Expect crocodiles in all Wujal waterways even if there is no warning sign,” he said.

“Always supervise children near the water and keep pets on a lead.”

But this isn’t the first time a dog has been snatched on the waterways.

In December a 45kg labrador was snatched off the bank near the Kamerunga Foot Bridge at Kamerunga.

Originally published as Man, dog attacked by crocodile south of Cooktown