Authorities hunt for serial croc killer

Authorities are investigating a likely serial crocodile killer after an anonymous caller bragged about killing an icon of the Daintree River.

Mr White had watched Lizzie raise many crocodile nests. Picture: David White

She was the Queen of the Daintree, the star of wildlife tours and the most charismatic croc in the river.

She was even given a name – Lizzie – for a distinctive wave that resembled Queen Elizabeth’s renowned gesture.

But Lizzie’s 40 years as river royalty came to a brutal end last month, sparking an investigation into a suspected serial crocodile killer in Far North Queensland.

The saltwater crocodile’s head was found on the bank of the river, not far from where her mutilated body lay.

Her sides had been cut away, revealing her spine.

At first, experienced Daintree River tour guide David White thought Lizzie, who he named decades ago, had been killed by another crocodile or a shark.

That was until he received a chilling phone call from an anonymous man claiming credit for the attack, saying, “I’m the real apex predator around here”.

The caller revealed details of the state of the crocodile and its location, next to Mr White’s moored tour boat, that made Mr White believe the sincerity of his claims.

Lizzie wasn’t the only crocodile the killer boasted of slaying. He also claimed to have killed a 4m crocodile that was found decapitated further north at Cow Bay in April.

“It was pretty horrible,” Mr White said.

“He was gloating about it and saying she suffered and didn’t die straight away and they cut her up and fed the meat to her dogs. He just left her head and skeleton on the bank.”

Other wildlife tour operators have received a similar call, putting the Daintree community on high-alert to identify the caller and keep an eye on strange activity along the rainforest-fringed river.

“A real ego, redneck, a real nasty piece of work who hates crocodiles,” Mr White said of the caller.

“He just killed this crocodile for the hell of it.”

The Department of Environment and Science confirmed it is investigating the call and the crocodile’s death.

In Queensland, crocodiles are listed as a vulnerable species and protected under the Nature Conservation Act.

Anyone found to have deliberately harmed a crocodile faces a maximum fine of $32,243.

Mr White suspected “hysteria and hate” whipped up by recent crocodile attacks in Queensland may have contributed to the killing.

“People just want to kill something they don’t understand and fear,” he said.

“If you follow the rules and don’t do anything stupid, you can stay out of their way.”

There have been four confirmed attacks by crocodiles on humans in Queensland this year, reigniting a debate over managing the reptiles.

Solar Whisper Crocodile and Wildlife Cruises tour guide David White. PHOTO: Mark Murray

The Palaszczuk government has ruled out a crocodile cull and backed its recently overhauled management policy.

Mr White is concerned about another Daintree crocodile, Charlotte, that has been missing from the river since February.

But it is Lizzie’s loss that weighs on him the most.

“She’s the female I’ve been watching the longest and my favourite,” he said.

“She was a really lovely girl. People think I’m crazy because I love crocodiles but they’re an animal like a dog and you get attached to them. They’ve got personalities and traits that make them different to other crocs.

“It’s really hard to handle and I’ve been really struggling to do my tours and dismayed with the whole world that people can do this thing.”