Crocodile bites staff member at popular Magnetic Island resort and Koala Park

Operators of an NQ wildlife park have dismissed safety fears after a staff member was bitten by a crocodile.

A sneaky freshwater crocodile. Picture: Nakita Nia.

Operators of a beloved resort and wildlife park on Magnetic Island have hosed down concerns over public safety - after a staff member was bitten on the hand by a freshwater crocodile.

The incident, which occurred at Bounce Magnetic Island and Koala Park in late October, wasn’t discussed publicly until now, with a concerned member of the public contacting the Townsville Bulletin to voice their worries that visitor safety may be impacted.

A spokesman for the operation has now refuted that there was ever any danger to the public.

“The incident on 27 October occurred during routine veterinary checks in a secure staff-only area while the park was closed to visitors in the morning,” the spokesman said.

“It was managed immediately, and the staff member involved made a full recovery. At no point were visitors exposed to any risk.”

The spokesman said that was confident that visitors to the park were “completely safe”.

“Public safety is tightly controlled and visitors are not permitted in operational or animal-handling zones. The incident occurred in an area that is never accessible to the public,” they said.

“The review conducted after the incident related solely to internal staff procedures. These adjustments do not affect visitor access, and public safety arrangements remain unchanged and effective.

“The animal has been relocated as part of standard operational decisions that do not impact visitor experience or safety.”

A spokesman for Workplace Health and Safety Queensland said the organisation had not been informed of any incident involving a crocodile on October 27.

Originally published as Crocodile bites staff member at popular Magnetic Island resort and Koala Park