Adelaide River Tours snaps picture of a croc eating a cow

Their eyes met across a crowded (with crocs) river. The croc kills the cow. The NT News gets the photos. And everyone lives happily ever after. With the exception of the cow.

A croc and a cow form a beautiful relationship on the Adelaide River. Picture: Adelaide River Tours

A fully grown cow got more than it bargained for when it went for a drink on the Adelaide River.

Adelaide River Tours guests were witness to a group of crocs fighting it out for a slice of beef. However, one 4m crocodile was able to assert its dominance and lay claim to the first bite.

Kelly Julicher runs Adelaide River Tours with her husband. She was out on their boat with plenty of excited tourists when the cow carcass was sighted on July 28.

“It was pretty cool, for everyone but the cow,” said Mrs Julicher.

“Our guests loved it, lots of photos, and lots of photo opportunities. We sat there for about an hour watching other crocs come along for a feed of their own.”

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The cow possibly came down to the river bank 5km away from Goat Island. It would then get stuck in the mud leaving it easy pickings for a passing crocodile.

Other crocs were seen waiting in the background for their own chance to have a nice bit of rump steak.

“There was quite a bit of grunting from the crocodiles toward each other, the ‘it’s mine, not yours’,” said Mrs Julicher.

“The biggest croc is the boss and they have to wait for him to have a feed. When he’s done they can fight it out for a turn.”

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The cow carcass was spotted again a couple of days later. This time it bore a strong smell and found itself drifting through a different territory. A 5m croc was spotted guarding the carcass this time round, the new boss.

The carcass continued to drift through different territories before disappearing entirely around a week after its first sighting.

“We could have been there for hours watching it but had to leave once everyone had taken their couple hundred photos,” said Mrs Julicher.

“The tourists loved it, it was pretty awesome.”