Huge 4m croc caught in Darwin Harbour, ranger Ian Hunt says 13 caught in Darwin in the last week

A massive 4m croc was pulled from a popular fishing spot on Tuesday, with more reptilian beasts removed from management zones in the past week.

A LARGE and no longer in charge 4m saltwater croc was pulled from a permanent trap at a popular fishing spot on Tuesday.

A scary fact is that for a croc of this size to be lurking around West Arm in the Darwin Harbour is quite normal.

NT Parks and Wildlife crocodile management unit wildlife ranger Ian Hunt said in the past week, 13 crocs have been removed from the Darwin management zone.

“It is pretty common (to get) pretty large crocs from most traps from Darwin Harbour,” Mr Hunt said.

“People are still in dry season mode thinking that crocs are tucked away but they are on the move.”

West Arm is a popular spot for ­people go fishing or crabbing.

Mr Hunt described the croc as relatively well-behaved when it was pulled from the trap and into the boat.

“He wasn’t too aggressive,” he said.

“Four metres is big – we classify anything over 2.5m as a threat to human life and a 4m croc is capable of killing any human.”

The crocodile management unit removes crocodiles within a 50km radius of Darwin.

“We actively remove crocs to make it safe for people; outside of that area, people are left to their own devices,” he said.

A 4m saltie was pulled out of West Arm of the Darwin Harbour on Tuesday morning. Picture: Supplied.

On the left is a 4m saltie caught in a croc trap in West Arm and on the right is a 2.7m saltie caught in the Howard River. Picture: Supplied.

The 4m saltie was removed from one of the permanent traps that rangers check and rebait regularly as part of the management program in the Darwin area.

In the past week, several large crocs have been caught, including three salties over 3m and one over 4m.

“Normally we remove anywhere from 200 to 350 crocs a year, averaging 300,” Mr Hunt said.

The crocs caught in the past week were taken near by boat ramps and recreational areas.

Mitchell Creek, Bleesers Creek, ­Elizabeth River and Myrmidon Creek are some areas from where the crocs were recovered.

Mr Hunt urged people using the waterways to take responsibility for their own safety.

“We are minimising the risk but we can never remove all crocs,” he said.

Mr Hunt warned people to be crocwise as any body of water in the Top End could be home to large and potentially dangerous crocodiles.

Anyone in the greater Darwin area should report any croc sightings to the croc management number on 0419 822 859.