‘Bully’ crocodile filmed sunbathing on Cassowary Coast pontoon
A bold crocodile has turned a marina pontoon into its personal sunbaking spot which has raised concerns from one local tour operator about a shift in crocodile behaviour around humans and boat traffic.
A saltwater crocodile has been spotted sunbathing on a private pontoon on the Cassowary Coast.
The footage, shared to social media, showed the large saltie posing like a boss on a Port Hinchinbrook pontoon while boaties cruised past.
Hinchinbrook Island Tours operator Joey Bugelli, who uses the pontoon to moor his boat on occasion, said the croc spotted on the pontoon was not the largest in the area, but is known to locals as “a bit of a bully.”
“There’s a couple 3m crocs in (the marina), so he’s not the biggest in the marina, he’s probably the second or third largest in the marina,” Mr Bugelli said.
“But the one on the pontoon tends to be a bit of a bully and gets in brawls with younger ones, so he’s obviously made that his territory.”
Mr Bugelli said he had seen the pontoon croc take on younger males in the area.
“I did see him about a 1.5 metre male and snap its back, did a bit of a death roll, and twisted it around so much the other croc just died, that was quite an experience to see,” he said.
While Mr Bugelli said it was great to see the crocodile population increase he was concerned at how brazen they had become.
“To be honest, we are seeing more and more crocs, which is good, but unfortunately when you’ve got high traffic areas with human population, humans and crocs don’t make sense,” he said.
“And they’re not scared of us.
“I think been doing tour guiding for many years and as years go on they’re not as scared of humans and boats as they once were.
“They get really close, they’ll come up to the boats, whereas previous years they’d go deep, which from a tourism perspective it’s nice to get a good look, but it’s also concerning that they’re happy to chill there while you get close.”
Mr Bugelli said he believed there should be more environmental management around more populated areas to keep both humans and crocs safe.
“I’m all about looking after crocs and I really think why should be protected and left alone,” he said.
“But I do believe that in populated areas such as marina’s there should be some sort of management policy that removes crocs over two metre mark.”
According to a Department of Environment an estuarine crocodile sighting was logged through the Qwildlife app and no further action is expected.
Under the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan Port Hinchinbrook falls within the Zone E meaning crocodiles are expected but only those showing dangerous behaviour are targeted for removal.
Under changes to plan this week crocs found at sites near Gordonvale and Mareeba can be relocated faster with more patrols in high-risk areas and an expansion of removal zones.
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Originally published as ‘Bully’ crocodile filmed sunbathing on Cassowary Coast pontoon
