Crocodile snatched, set loose after man allegedly breaks into Crocadylus Park in Darwin

CCTV has captured the shocking moment a zoo intruder snatched a baby crocodile for a selfie before fleeing - allegedly running over a family of ducks as he left in a ute.

A juvenile crocodile has gone missing after a man allegedly broke into a Darwin crocodile park and set it free before allegedly stealing a ute and running over a raft of ducks.

The man was seen on CCTV footage taking the 65cm saltwater crocodile from Crocodylus Park in Darwin on Wednesday night.

He could be seen walking through the zoo office with a towel and cap on his head to hide his face, with the baby reptile in his hand and snapping a selfie before dropping the crocodile and chasing after it.

The crocodile sped away as the man chased after it before it escaped the zoo.

The man allegedly grabbed the juvenile crocodile before taking a selfie with it. Picture: ABC

The alleged theft was first realised after a staff member arrived at the park and noticed the crocodile was not in its enclosure.

Crocodylus Park manager Emily Moynes said the entire ordeal was “very stressful” for the park staff and baby crocodile, who remains missing.

“You can see this individual catch this crocodile and then they proceed to, it looks like, film themselves in a bit of a selfie video,” she told the ABC.

“You could clearly see that this animal is trying to get away from this person and just try to seek some sort of safety, shelter.”

Ms Moyes said the crocodile was a resilient animal and was expected to still be somewhere on the property, with zookeepers hopeful they would be able to locate it.

Staff also believe the man fled in a ute taken from the Darwin zoo and hit several ducks as he fled the scene.

On Friday afternoon, NT Police said they had located the alleged offender’s vehicle at Casuarina Beach.

The crocodile launched out of the man’ hand and ran away. Picture: ABC

“While inside the premises the offender removed a baby crocodile from an enclosure and took images with the reptile,” the police said.

“He then stole a Holden Rodeo utility and used it to ram through multiple gates and ran over a family of ducks in the process.

“The vehicle has since been located burnt out at Casuarina Beach.”

Senior Sergeant Dale Motter-Barnard called on the public to help investigators catch the man.

“We are aware of the CCTV footage that is circulating showcasing this abhorrent incident,” he said.

“Strike Force Trident members are working to bring the offender into custody and before the courts.

“We urge anyone with information about the incident to make contact on 131 444.”

Originally published as Crocodile snatched, set loose after man allegedly breaks into Crocadylus Park in Darwin