Cairns Golf Club staff ‘surprised’ by crocodile sighting in pond
A snappy little visitor relaxing in a pond at the second hole of a Cairns golf course has given the term ‘water hazard’ a whole new meaning. Check out the photos.
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A snappy little visitor relaxing in a pond at the second hole of the Cairns Golf Club has given the term water hazard a whole new meaning.
The 75cm crocodile, believed to be a freshwater croc, was found among the water lilies in the pond that runs alongside the par three second hole on Wednesday morning.
Cairns Golf Club general manager Matt Bolton said he found out about the curious critter through a message on the club’s social media page.
“It was first reported to us on social media on Monday morning. We didn’t believe it was real when we got the first message so I got some staff together to have a look,” Mr Bolton said.
Within five minutes, the crocodile appeared, looking straight at the group.
“It’s very tame, not very scared of humans. Typically freshwater crocodiles are more skittish around humans so it might’ve been somebody’s pet they shouldn’t have had, but we can’t make assumptions,” he said.
The critter has already become a celebrity with Mr Bolton mentioning the crocodile to tourists on the course who became very excited when they heard the news.
“He’s right smack in the middle of the golf course on our signature second hole. There’s a lot of fish in there so I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” he said.
Mr Bolton said the golf club had sought advice from the Department of Environment and Science, and the croc was likely to remain a permanent hazard on course.
“We were one of the only golf courses in the region without a resident crocodile and this appears to be the first one that has taken up residence here in recent memory.
“He’s relatively small at this stage and doesn’t appear to pose any danger to players although that pond attracts a lot of golf balls,” he said.
Mr Bolton said if the croc were to stay, it would “get very fat, very quick” due to the amount of fish in the pond.
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Originally published as Cairns Golf Club staff ‘surprised’ by crocodile sighting in pond
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