# Girl missing, feared taken by croc in NT



## News Bot (Nov 17, 2012)

POLICE have launched a search for a girl who is believed to have been taken by a crocodile while swimming at a waterhole in the Northern Territory.






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*Published On:* 17-Nov-12 12:11 AM
*Source:* via NEWS.com.au

*Go to Original Article*


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## GeckoJosh (Nov 17, 2012)

That poor girl


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## Jeannine (Nov 17, 2012)

i just dont get it, even here in NSW i KNOW i wouldnt go swimming in any water holes in the NT. ive seen plenty of shows saying just because you dont see them doesnt mean they arent there and the best way to keep safe is NOT to go swimming yet these people live there and assume its safe just because they have never seen one and now a little girl may have payed for that complacency with her life


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## someday (Nov 17, 2012)

must of been ahwile till they relized she was missing, if a croc got her i think there would of been some noise splashing water, yelling ect..


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## GeckoJosh (Nov 17, 2012)

someday said:


> must of been ahwile till they relized she was missing, if a croc got her i think there would of been some noise splashing water, yelling ect..



You would be surprised how stealthily they can take down their prey, they know the more noise they make means the more crocs they have to share the kill with.


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## someday (Nov 17, 2012)

GeckoJosh said:


> You would be surprised how stealthily they can take down their prey, they know the more noise they make means the more crocs they have to share the kill with.


true. but they should of been watching the 11year old regardless of never seeing any crocs there.


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## caliherp (Nov 17, 2012)

That's sad. I hope she just wondered into the bush, and they find her safe and sound.


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## 43nickw (Nov 17, 2012)

ita easy to see how this happens i live in cairns my local beach allways has children swimming in the beach with parents watching, i tell them that i see crocs their all the time, but they still stay in the water, if you are up north swim in the mountains or a pool or you are playin russian rulette


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## cement (Nov 17, 2012)

43nickw said:


> ita easy to see how this happens i live in cairns my local beach allways has children swimming in the beach with parents watching, i tell them that i see crocs their all the time, but they still stay in the water, if you are up north swim in the mountains or a pool or you are playin russian rulette[/QUOTE
> 
> Exactly. I honestly find it hard to beleive there aren't more people taken. Which actually says a lot for the crocs, because there are so many stupid people swimming in places that are even signposted.


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## Gonemad (Nov 17, 2012)

Cement my brothers (11 & 16) went up north it was extremely hot so they swam across the river when a guy pointed to a sign that was covered by branches they recon they walked on water to get back Nan said they were really white and didn't need the bathroom for weeks. A little scary to think these things happen out of stupidness or just ignorance.

My thoughts go to the parents, they must be beside themselves with worry and not knowing if croc got her or some creepy stranger stole her, there will be no answers until she is found.


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## borntobnude (Nov 17, 2012)

No matter how many signs and warnings you put there will always be a Brave Fool to have a go Who was the tri athlete that swam in the johnstone river to train ?? -- its only home to the Johnstone river crocodile .
. 
I hope they find her safe , but even if she went into the bush up there ??? 

And my 16 yr old son just left to go into town and i am worried for him!!!


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## Chanzey (Nov 17, 2012)

borntobnude said:


> No matter how many signs and warnings you put there will always be a Brave Fool to have a go Who was the tri athlete that swam in the johnstone river to train ?? -- its only home to the Johnstone river crocodile .
> .
> I hope they find her safe , but even if she went into the bush up there ???
> 
> And my 16 yr old son just left to go into town and i am worried for him!!!



Wouldn't that be a freshy?...

I would be more worried about salt water crocs


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## Holly35 (Nov 17, 2012)

This is so very sad the other sad thing is that this will not be the last time and as we all know that crocodile's are very dangerous and if it was me I would have never gone by the waterhole it would put too much fear in me.


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## cement (Nov 17, 2012)

I saw a guy swimming about 70meters off the beach at Palm Cove, like he was swimming the length of the beach for exercise.
It may have even been that same night that a dog was taken in the lagoon which is situated on the boundary of Clifton and Kewarra beach which is the same beach as Palm cove (southern end). Couple of days after that the croc was killed, then a couple of days after that the rangers trapped another one in the same creek/lagoon.
I saw my first wild croc in Half Moon river at Yorkeys Knob just 15-20 mins nth of Cairns cbd, it was only a 2m one, but back at the beach next to the break wall when I was loading my boat back on the truck there's this guy neck deep in the murky water trying to get his dog to come in for a swim with him! The dog stayed out of the water (smarter then its owner!)
Sure I had to go in the water, launching and retreiving the tinny, the odd swim (clear shallow water after a good look around, and pretty quick dips), pushing the tinny off sandbanks etc, but crocs are everywhere... I saw more crocs then snakes, and had some really interesting encounters with them. 
Its a case of taking your life in your own hands and being responsible for your own safety. I feel for the kids that get taken, at least if it was a croc that took them then it would be over pretty quickly. Its a different world up there, beautiful, but safe if you just follow some simple rules. I think some people are so removed from living with bushman type knowledge and instincts they see themselves as bulletproof. (I am talking about white tourists) blackfellas have a different outlook but they still get eaten too.


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## Jeannine (Nov 17, 2012)

sad but expected outcome 

Human remains found inside crocodile - Yahoo!7 News


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## 43nickw (Nov 17, 2012)

Chanzey said:


> Wouldn't that be a freshy?...
> 
> I would be more worried about salt water crocs



salt water crocs will live in fresh water just as easily as freshies, we have a 2.4 meter salty livin in our dam at work and it is %100 fresh water, he feeds on fish and ducks,and big magpie geese, safest place to swim is in the mountains.


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## SteveNT (Nov 17, 2012)

Poor thing. They found the croc and she was inside.


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## Bananapeel (Nov 17, 2012)

SteveNT said:


> Poor thing. They found the croc and she was inside.



Oh god. That's so traumatising. Really sad. Hopefully this serves as a reminder to others.


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## wranga (Nov 17, 2012)

SteveNT said:


> Poor thing. They found the croc and she was inside.


poor croc died for having a feed. cant believe people would let their kids swim up there. yes im sad and sorry that a child has died, but blame the dumb parents. not a wild animal


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## SteveNT (Nov 17, 2012)

wranga said:


> poor croc died for having a feed. cant believe people would let their kids swim up there. yes im sad and sorry that a child has died, but blame the dumb parents. not a wild animal



There's never been a croc seen in that creek. People have swum there for generations.
Bloody tragic. That croc you like so much is dead and gutted to get that poor kid out. DKhead


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## wranga (Nov 17, 2012)

SteveNT said:


> There's never been a croc seen in that creek. People have swum there for generations.
> Bloody tragic. That croc you like so much is dead and gutted to get that poor kid out. DKhead


so if you cant see them then their not there? i know that i wouldnt be trying my luck or my kids by swimming in any creek or water hole up there. like you i have my thoughts as to who the DKhead is. could be said that you need to be a DKhead to swim in a creek up there. if DKheads spend alittle more time thinking about what if, a little girl would still be alive as would the croc


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## Holly35 (Nov 18, 2012)

I see that human remains have been found inside the crocodile well this is really sad but Iam not shocked by it what get's me is that her parents let her go by thier and did not say anything to her that get's too me.


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## CaptainRatbag (Nov 18, 2012)

It is bad!.... where were her parents? surely they should have realised there were crocks?? And now they want to catch the crock and 'see if it ate her'  What if they gut the wrong crock? the next.... the next.... Sad for the girl, sad for the crock(s) it is thier home..... people should respect that! 

Edit: Every time I have seen any programs on tv or movies about north aussie, there are signs everywhere saying 'no swimming.... crocks'..... they even have picture signs so tourists can read the sign if they dont speak english? How could the parents have been so careless?

Awful.....


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## Holly35 (Nov 18, 2012)

See that is the thing people do not have any respect for wild and dangerous animals and they wonder why thier love ones or they get attack or even killed and there are signs everywhere then the parents should know better I can see if there was no signs. The parents are very careless and now they are going live with this for the rest of there lives sorry too say but I hope that they have learn a lesson.


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## cement (Nov 18, 2012)

If it was remote TO land, there probably wouldn't be any signs.
Its a tragedy for both species, but a scenario that has been played out for thousands of years.This seems like a fatal mistake maybe due to complacency.
When you see so many people blatantly ignoring the real possibility of crocs, it makes it worse when it happens like this.
They are there and they do eat people. It should be a lesson to EVERYONE who goes into crocodile country. You will not see them coming if they want to eat you.


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## Bananapeel (Nov 18, 2012)

IMO it is a case of 2 very avoidable and unreasonable deaths of which 1 stupid action caused the death of 2 innocent lives.


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## Chanzey (Nov 18, 2012)

43nickw said:


> salt water crocs will live in fresh water just as easily as freshies, we have a 2.4 meter salty livin in our dam at work and it is %100 fresh water, he feeds on fish and ducks,and big magpie geese, safest place to swim is in the mountains.



That was my point...


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## PilbaraPythons (Nov 18, 2012)

Extremely sad terrible tragedy, however they should be well aware of the risks and if knowing those risks still choose to interact with nature (as they have done for thousands of years) then they must accept themselves as potentially part of the natural food chain.


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## SteveNT (Nov 18, 2012)

They are extremely aware of the croc risks. 

I was recently at Emu Springs in central Arnhem Land where a 3 meter salty had turned up in a creek which had never had salties (and this is a LONG history). As the croc population expands so does the range. I was at Numbulwar last week when a 4+ meter salty was shot after stalking the kids having a dip in front of town. 
Countrymen know all about crocs. This is the tropics and it is hot as hell at the moment. People will get in the water (self included) you just minimise the risk as much as possible.

There will always be fatalities, it will always be tragic but to suggest these guys are irresponsible for letting their kids swim in safe spots is ludicrous.

If nothing else the crocs filter out the chicken poo Mexicans so we can get on with doing the do Top End style.


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## longqi (Nov 18, 2012)

To those who are blaming the parents

What will you say if a shark has a munch at Bondi Beach??

Since hunting stopped crocs have slowly increased in numbers
But its ex-potential growth
So now their numbers are literally exploding
In areas where no croc has been seen in living memory crocs are turning up
So to blame parents for allowing kids to swim in an area where no one has ever seen a croc before
is no way bad parenting
Its bad luck and bad wildlife management that caused this


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## cement (Nov 18, 2012)

SteveNT said:


> They are extremely aware of the croc risks.
> 
> 
> If nothing else the crocs filter out the chicken poo Mexicans so we can get on with doing the do Top End style.



Then why is it that mainly the blackfellars/locals get taken?


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## Stuart (Nov 18, 2012)

cement said:


> Then why is it that mainly the blackfellars/locals get taken?


Matter of logic. More of us are swimming in those areas than tourists because according to history, they are "safe" areas and are secreted away from the tourists for good reason. 

Just because no one has drowned in an area doesn't mean it can't happen. Same goes for crocs on water locations, just because they have not been seen yet does not mean they won't pitch up later.


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## Darlyn (Nov 18, 2012)

cement said:


> Then why is it that mainly the blackfellars/locals get taken?



Who says more blackfellas get taken? Young white girl got taken coupla years ago. Same
thing family/ locals been swimming in that area for years.


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## CaptainRatbag (Nov 18, 2012)

cement said:


> Then why is it that mainly the blackfellars/locals get taken?



Maybe the crocks have heard the old saying 'once you go ..... you never go back'?


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## SteveNT (Nov 18, 2012)

They're colour blind when it comes to tucker.


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## cement (Nov 18, 2012)

Darlyn said:


> Who says more blackfellas get taken? Young white girl got taken coupla years ago. Same
> thing family/ locals been swimming in that area for years.



There ya go...local.
I've looked at croc attacks recently because I have been checking up on a few things I have been told lately. From talking to people who are experts on the animals too, one a TO ranger at Pajinka, who claims to have 'raised' a 19-20foot wild croc over the last 15 years (its older than 15yrs) and which lives on a island only visited by TO's.And after spending a couple of days with Rob Bredl learning from him.
Croc attacks can be hard to check because how many go unreported? These would mainly be attacks on TO's. But out of 39 since the late 80's that I have looked at the majority of the attacks have been on locals, either black or white.
The Pajinka ranger claims that the crocs know the blackfellers and won't attack them, they know if they get a bit naughty they will get speared or shot, so they leave the TO's alone. I am not convinced, and though we had a good yarn with many laughs and some serious bits too, I reckon he was pushing it a bit for the white tourists sake.


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## Holly35 (Nov 19, 2012)

I have to ask does anyone on here have a age on this girl? how old is she? because if she is like I say 12 years old or maybe 11 years old she should know better and she should know that crocs are very dangerous and should know what warning signs are.


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## CaptainRatbag (Nov 19, 2012)

11 from what I heard


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## Holly35 (Nov 19, 2012)

11 years old? see she should know better then to go too a waterhole that has crocs in the water at 11 I knew that better in a lot of things and would know even more better that if I see a warning singn to never go pass that point. I can see she was at the ages of 1 too 8 then I would say she did not know any better but too find out that she is 11 sorry but she should have stay clear from that waterhole IMO.


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## Darlyn (Nov 19, 2012)

Holly35 said:


> 11 years old? see she should know better then to go too a waterhole that has crocs in the water at 11 I knew that better in a lot of things and would know even more better that if I see a warning singn to never go pass that point. I can see she was at the ages of 1 too 8 then I would say she did not know any better but too find out that she is 11 sorry but she should have stay clear from that waterhole IMO.



She was seven and had probably been swimming in there her whole life.There are no warning signs where she lives. You need to inderstand that she didn't live in your world with traffic lights and warning signs.

Your opinion is ill informed and nasty


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## caliherp (Nov 19, 2012)

Darlyn said:


> She was seven and had probably been swimming in there her whole life.There are no warning signs where she lives. You need to inderstand that she didn't live in your world with traffic lights and warning signs.
> 
> Your opinion is ill informed and nasty


+1 she probably has swam there her whole life. Just like any kid, I'm sure she was listening to her parents.


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## Jeannine (Nov 19, 2012)

and i state 'just because you never see one doesnt mean one isnt there or hasnt moved in

im from NSW and i know bloody well to NEVER go swimming anywhere in the NT even if there is a sign telling me its safe because stupid me KNOWS they can move into places they have never been before, a big male can be driven out of 'his range' and move to another and just because i cant see it doesnt mean ones not there, its not like they hold up a big sign saying 'HELLO MY NAMES GEORGE IM YOUR NEW RESIDENT CROCODILE PLEASE DONT SWIM IN MY NEW HOME, THANK YOU' 

and apparently there was an adult there who SHOULD have been supervising but im betting they were in the water having a good time with all the kids 
The seven-year-old girl was swimming with other children and an adult at a local waterhole at the Gumarrirnbang outstation

Read more: Seven-year-old feared killed by croc in NT | News.com.au

The seven-year-old girl was swimming with other children and an adult at a local waterhole at the Gumarrirnbang outstation

Read more: Seven-year-old feared killed by croc in NT | News.com.au
​


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## Holly35 (Nov 19, 2012)

Darlyn said:


> She was seven and had probably been swimming in there her whole life.There are no warning signs where she lives. You need to inderstand that she didn't live in your world with traffic lights and warning signs.
> 
> Your opinion is ill informed and nasty



Um Ratbag said she thought she was 11 so I when by that and nasty? I am not being nasty I did not say onething out of line on here that would be nasty I also thought they had warning signs so maybe saying I was nasty was not a bright idea.


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## CaptainRatbag (Nov 19, 2012)

Sorry to mislead you Holly, I thought I heard somewhere she was 11, but I must agree.... even at 7, if a local too, she or the other older kids should have been aware of the danger.

As I said earlier, it is a terrible outcome, I am sad for the girl and the crock  I hope both of thier deaths are not wasted and the tragedy warns others to be more careful

Darlyn, I dont think Holly was being nasty..... her opinion was exactly the same as mine.... I havent heard the full story, I wont open news bot stories on here because they always jam my computer when I do, so I have just picked up bits and pieces of info off here. But when I heard 'girl taken by crock' and all that, I immediately thought tourists.... signs etc


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## crocodile_dan (Nov 19, 2012)

Even if the girl was 11 or older for that matter does not mean they should have known better. I have little cousins 8 and 10, I love them to pieces but they are KIDS they often think and act without forethought. To infer that they should have a working understanding of safe procedures that they can reproduce in a practical situation when adults make the same and in some cases stupider judgements is an unfair comment in my opinion.

This was a tragic accident. They happen around the world and manifest from countless situations.

Predators are my passion and current career path, my gut instinct is to defend the predatory instincts of an animal, but sometimes we just need to call it as it is: An accident. My condolences to all those involved, I wouldn't begin to imagine what they are going through at this time.


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## Holly35 (Nov 19, 2012)

I agree with you Crocodlie Dan it was a accident but it this kind of accident could have been avoid if they first off had supervison from the parents and also by staying away from the waterhole IMO.


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## longqi (Nov 19, 2012)

Holly35 said:


> 11 years old? see she should know better then to go too a waterhole that has crocs in the water at 11 I knew that better in a lot of things and would know even more better that if I see a warning singn to never go pass that point. I can see she was at the ages of 1 too 8 then I would say she did not know any better but too find out that she is 11 sorry but she should have stay clear from that waterhole IMO.



i] There has never been a crocodile seen there before
2] There are no warning signs because no one knew the crocs existed
3] There has not been a shark attack at Bondi for over 50 years
so if someone gets chewed up at Bondi its the parents or kids fault???

Jeanine
So when you go to the beach on your annual holidays you never go swimming because a shark 'might' be there
You never go outside because a dingo might eat you
You live underground in case a piece of metal falls off a plane 

There are hundreds of perfectly safe places to swim up North
Some of those places will always be safe regardless of how many more crocs there are


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## crocodile_dan (Nov 19, 2012)

The number of fatal accidents that are the result of large predatory animals are almost negligible in comparison to road tolls, cancer, tobacco etc. Many years ago there were more people killed per year by vending machines in Australia than sharks and crocs put together (I'm unsure of the current statistics but wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't changed). However we are meant to live in paranoid fear of all the 'man eaters' out there? 

I agree that the simplest way to avoid conflict with crocodiles is to stay away from the water, it is simple in theory but not so simple in application. I have been in croc areas were I spent a few weeks actively trying to find some living in the wild around the cairns region, I also spent some time swimming in some areas there. 

As Longqi has mentioned the world is full of hypothetical hazards. Personally the things that scare me most in life are things like car crashes and cancer but even still I don't live my life in fear of roads or (some) carcinogens.


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## Holly35 (Nov 19, 2012)

Well here what I think should be done they should put up warning signs too warn everyone that thier could be a croc in the waterhole so everyone is awear of the danger that way no moor kids and pepole get killed the signs will be seen.


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## Gonemad (Nov 19, 2012)

How I took the news article: that there hasn't been croc seen in those waters so it was ok to swim! I have to admit I wouldnt have swam there either but I don't swim in dams cos they have leaches.
Holley35 what you are saying is place signs on all puddles or ponds not only expensive but puddles and ponds dry up!
I guess we should all stop breathing cos salmonella could be around. It's the way of life and the food chain needs to be maintain we die we feed worms etc brown snake bit my best show cow $1800 later she's alive does the snake need to Die! Well in my opinion YES but it is apart of nature and has the right to life. Unpredictable accidents happen from one small mistake but does make the outcome any easier to cope with.


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## Zanks (Nov 19, 2012)

Yes, lets put up some more signs, what a great idea, that'll fix it.........lets all be safe and have zero fun
Life is simply risk verses reward people, learn to deal with it


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## Holly35 (Nov 19, 2012)

Wow no need for the attitude Iam saying something should be done about it so it can never happen again Zanks you can drop the attitude because thier is no need for it Iam not getting a attitude on here Iam only coming up with some ideas so pepole and kids stay safe don't like that too bad deal with it.


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## Stuart (Nov 19, 2012)

Holly35 said:


> Wow no need for the attitude Iam saying something should be done about it so it can never happen again Zanks you can drop the attitude because thier is no need for it Iam not getting a attitude on here Iam only coming up with some ideas so pepole and kids stay safe don't like that too bad deal with it.


Dont take it personally Holly, the attitudes of people differ worldwide so Im sure none of what has been said is meant to be a personal attack. While you offer some good suggestions that may work where you are, they wont work here due to the difference in attitudes towards these things. We accept that there may be risk and as such, regardless of the sad outcome, we persevere and attempt to do better next time around.


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## Gonemad (Nov 19, 2012)

SniperCap said:


> Dont take it personally Holly, the attitudes of people differ worldwide so Im sure none of what has been said is meant to be a personal attack. While you offer some good suggestions that may work where you are, they wont work here due to the difference in attitudes towards these things. We accept that there may be risk and as such, regardless of the sad outcome, we persevere and attempt to do better next time around.



That was so well written thank you SnipCap and all the brochures have croc warning! People just get blinded but all the warnings and think it won't happen to them! My moto is if it can happen it will happen I believe this sort of stuff has always happened but because of world wide news we hear about it more. Sorry holly35 if you took my post to heart! I would like to fence in all common swimming holes but this won't stop the problem either!


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## Tristan (Nov 19, 2012)

I Grew up in Kununurra, and spent most of my childhood swimming with Crocs we swam in areas that were know to have populations of Freshwater crocks, but we also knew Saltys were capable of being in the same area. predominantly our swimming was kept to popular boating\swimming areas the high amount of activity tended to see the crocks stay away at least during the day. 

there were warning signs up around known crock areas and no swimming signs up around known salty population. but as i said above there is nothing stopping the odd salty from visiting a freshwater area for some time, but its just part of the area you live in you have to be aware of the dangers and play it safe as you can but there will always be exceptions. 

i distinctly remember 1 weekend swimming in a channel with my mates, the next weekend a kid was taken by a salty in that same channel, and that was\is one of the popular swimming spots for the local kids, its unfortunate but **** happens and as i said it just apart of living in that area and sharing the waterways with large predators


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## Holly35 (Nov 19, 2012)

Well all Iam going to say is that I feel so bad for that little girl and for her parents I know if I was her mom and find that she is killed and eaten by a croc I just want to die and I also feel for her parents that thier baby girl is gone very sad.


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## Magpie (Nov 19, 2012)

I have the answer.
Everyone should be forced to move to the city, there's no danger there. Kids don't die in cities and there are no "bad parents" there either.

The fact is that when you live in the country you take risks that others may think are stupid.

Occasionally it turns out for the worst, most of the time it doesn't.

These kids are up there living an incredible life. Without being able to swim (no backyard pools up there believe it or not - better call DOCS!!) they lose one of their biggest daily joys. Without airconditioning, life becomes almpost unbearable really.

Personally, I think that most crocs are not people killers. There are large numbers of them living in close proximity to large numbers of people with no problems.


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## imported_Varanus (Nov 19, 2012)

Tristan said:


> I Grew up in Kununurra, and spent most of my childhood swimming with Crocs we swam in areas that were know to have populations of Freshwater crocks, but we also knew Saltys were capable of being in the same area. predominantly our swimming was kept to popular boating\swimming areas the high amount of activity tended to see the crocks stay away at least during the day.
> 
> there were warning signs up around known crock areas and no swimming signs up around known salty population. but as i said above there is nothing stopping the odd salty from visiting a freshwater area for some time, but its just part of the area you live in you have to be aware of the dangers and play it safe as you can but there will always be exceptions.
> 
> i distinctly remember 1 weekend swimming in a channel with my mates, the next weekend a kid was taken by a salty in that same channel, and that was\is one of the popular swimming spots for the local kids, its unfortunate but **** happens and as i said it just apart of living in that area and sharing the waterways with large predators



"Bandicoot Bar"" (Diverson Dam), below the wall...used to be a great place to spearfish for Barra, until I popped up one day and was stareing straight into some slitty yellow eyes!

A mate of mine was riding a boundry once and saw what he first thought was a moving log heading across a saltpan well away from any water body. It was a croc caked in drying mud, likely following the scent of distant water.


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## Chanzey (Nov 19, 2012)

longqi said:


> i]
> 3] There has not been a shark attack at Bondi for over 50 years



Not trying to argue or anything, but that's not true.


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## Sleazy.P.Martini (Nov 19, 2012)

Chanzey said:


> Not trying to argue or anything, but that's not true.



Correct, however 2009(I think) was the first attack since 1929, I believe there's been two since then. Regardless pretty good record really. At any rate he made a very valid point. When was the last time someone got ripped by a shark and everyone blamed the parents? Crocs hadn't been seen there before, and they don't occur in all waterways. Sharks however occur in many more oceans and rivers, we KNOW that. But parents still allow kids to swim.


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## Darlyn (Nov 19, 2012)

cement said:


> There ya go...local.
> I've looked at croc attacks recently because I have been checking up on a few things I have been told lately. From talking to people who are experts on the animals too, one a TO ranger at Pajinka, who claims to have 'raised' a 19-20foot wild croc over the last 15 years (its older than 15yrs) and which lives on a island only visited by TO's.And after spending a couple of days with Rob Bredl learning from him.
> Croc attacks can be hard to check because how many go unreported? These would mainly be attacks on TO's. But out of 39 since the late 80's that I have looked at the majority of the attacks have been on locals, either black or white.
> The Pajinka ranger claims that the crocs know the blackfellers and won't attack them, they know if they get a bit naughty they will get speared or shot, so they leave the TO's alone. I am not convinced, and though we had a good yarn with many laughs and some serious bits too, I reckon he was pushing it a bit for the white tourists sake.



It seems that more people are getting taken recently, than in previous years. A few years ago we had the largest rainfall ever recorded
in the Top End. My theory is that the floodwaters reached areas that had previously never seen large amounts of water, this allowed crocs to move into areas that people who have lived there for eons would never expect crocs to inhabit. Also of course there are many more crocs around these days because there is no culling.
I guess more indigenous people live side by side with crocs and are more likely to come face to face with them.


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## CaptainRatbag (Nov 19, 2012)

Darlyn said:


> It seems that more people are getting taken recently, than in previous years. A few years ago we had the largest rainfall ever recorded
> in the Top End. My theory is that the floodwaters reached areas that had previously never seen large amounts of water, this allowed crocs to move into areas that people who have lived there for eons would never expect crocs to inhabit. Also of course there are many more crocs around these days because there is no culling.
> I guess more indigenous people live side by side with crocs and are more likely to come face to face with them.



Another possibility, is now that crocks arent hunted willy-nilly there are more living longer and therefore getting bigger and greater numbers?


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## Darlyn (Nov 19, 2012)

Yes Cpt.Rb that's also a probable factor.


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## crocodile_dan (Nov 20, 2012)

The human population is/has also increased dramatically.


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## Lachie2261 (Nov 20, 2012)

The whole concept that a shark attack at bondi beach with a crocodile attack is ludacris. Sharks arn't nearly as dangerous as croc's hense the reason you will never see people swim with them for recreation. 

Its not the parents, it's not the child herself and it's not the crocodile. IMO


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## Magpie (Nov 20, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> Another possibility, is now that crocks arent hunted willy-nilly there are more living longer and therefore getting bigger and greater numbers?



Many factors,all combining.
Huge increase in the population of the far north.
Crocs increasing in size and numbers. 
Recent times of big rainfall.
Vast increase in large animal food sources. When wallabies were the biggest food source available, it didn't make sense for crocs to get much bigger than 4m. With camels, cows, pigs, goats etc, there is more reason for crocs to get bigger and more food to help them grow. People talk about crocs returning to pre-hunting numbers but back then, all they had to eat was fish, birds and the occasional wallaby.
Lack of culling. I don't mean modern culling. Back in the day, the indiginous inhabitants would have had no hesitation in killing a croc that invaded their local waterhole.

Lachie, really?
So people should only swim below Gladstone?
What about fishing? A croc could very easilly swamp a 4m tinny.
Sharks are every bit as dangerous as crocs. We just like to fool ourselves that what we are doing is safe.


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## longqi (Nov 20, 2012)

Lachie2261 said:


> The whole concept that a shark attack at bondi beach with a crocodile attack is ludacris. Sharks arn't nearly as dangerous as croc's hense the reason you will never see people swim with them for recreation.
> 
> Its not the parents, it's not the child herself and it's not the crocodile. IMO



That comparison was made to show that you cannot blame the parents for letting a child swim in an area where there have never been croc or shark attacks in living memory

So maybe its not as 'ludacris' [ludicrous] as you think

I completely agree with your last sentence


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## Lachie2261 (Nov 20, 2012)

Magpie said:


> Lachie, really?
> So people should only swim below Gladstone?
> What about fishing? A croc could very easilly swamp a 4m tinny.
> Sharks are every bit as dangerous as crocs. We just like to fool ourselves that what we are doing is safe.



No, but maybe more in swimming pools I believe. 

The comparison as I now see it makes sense. However as I originally saw it this morning made no sense comparing a beach with 50 thousand people every day to a river in NT.

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Magpie said:


> Lachie, really?
> So people should only swim below Gladstone?
> What about fishing? A croc could very easilly swamp a 4m tinny.
> Sharks are every bit as dangerous as crocs. We just like to fool ourselves that what we are doing is safe.



No, but maybe more in swimming pools I believe. 

The comparison as I now see it makes sense. However as I originally saw it this morning made no sense comparing a beach with 50 thousand people every day to a river in NT. Sorry for the mistake


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## phatty (Nov 20, 2012)

I don't go swimming unless I can see the bottom or the are large groups of people in known swimming hole i know that it is still a risk as most of the swimming hole have close to heavy populated croc areas. I have been woken up to little indigenous kids jumping in to the daly river ( known for crocs) at 2 in the morning! Each to their own i guess. I fell sorry for the little girl as she will never know what she could have become!

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## Chanzey (Nov 20, 2012)

More people die in pools than by crocs.


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## SteveNT (Nov 20, 2012)

crocodile_dan said:


> The human population is/has also increased dramatically.



Arnhem Land has a fairly stable population. When the Health people win their battle to increase health and longevity there will be a population explosion and a new crisis. Such is life.


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## Stuart (Nov 20, 2012)

SteveNT said:


> Arnhem Land has a fairly stable population. When the Health people win their battle to increase health and longevity there will be a population explosion and a new crisis. Such is life.


Ah, but that's why we have the crocs


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## CaptainRatbag (Nov 20, 2012)

I guess we will just have to go and brick all the crocks? 

Also brick the tourists.....

Oh, and of course, brick the locals!  (especially the locals! :shock:lol:


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## Elapidae1 (Nov 20, 2012)

I Was fishing in Anhem land a couple of years ago my first time in the top end and fairly nervous about crocs only to see an indigenous family, kids splashing around and mum casting a net knee deep in the water. First off I thought they were crazy then I thought to myself who am I in their country to be critical of what looked like a relaxing day out for the family and some tucker that evening.
A couple of years ago a father was taken by a great white at my local beach while diving for crabs with his son. I weighed up what I perceived to be the risks of it happening again and went in two days later, got a good feed of crabs and a few mouthfuls from beach goers for my stupidity.
Point is we all take risks to varying degrees and at 11-12 years old I had free run of my neighbourhood we did some bloody stupid things but came out for the most part unscathed. We spent entire school holidays exploring the underground drainage systems under the town. There were huge yabbies in there that we deemed safe to eat seeing as they could survive in the drains anyway. Nowadays they are all heavily padlocked and caged and entry is only with full weather reports, gas testing, confined space permits and blahdy blah.
If something had happened no doubt the parenting skills of my folks would have been bought into question. But seeing as we turned out all right they did a good job by not wrapping us in cotton wool.

Any death is tragic particularly when kids are involved but we need to live our lives and weigh up our own decisions and let our kids bump heads, scrape knees and even break the occasional bone with a bit of luck thats all it will lead too but tragedies do occur and always will.


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## SteveNT (Nov 20, 2012)

SniperCap said:


> Ah, but that's why we have the crocs



sad but true

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Elapidae1 said:


> I Was fishing in Anhem land a couple of years ago my first time in the top end and fairly nervous about crocs only to see an indigenous family, kids splashing around and mum casting a net knee deep in the water. First off I thought they were crazy then I thought to myself who am I in their country to be critical of what looked like a relaxing day out for the family and some tucker that evening.
> A couple of years ago a father was taken by a great white at my local beach while diving for crabs with his son. I weighed up what I perceived to be the risks of it happening again and went in two days later, got a good feed of crabs and a few mouthfuls from beach goers for my stupidity.
> Point is we all take risks to varying degrees and at 11-12 years old I had free run of my neighbourhood we did some bloody stupid things but came out for the most part unscathed. We spent entire school holidays exploring the underground drainage systems under the town. There were huge yabbies in there that we deemed safe to eat seeing as they could survive in the drains anyway. Nowadays they are all heavily padlocked and caged and entry is only with full weather reports, gas testing, confined space permits and blahdy blah.
> If something had happened no doubt the parenting skills of my folks would have been bought into question. But seeing as we turned out all right they did a good job by not wrapping us in cotton wool.
> ...



100% agree. Maybe they'll even develop an immune system, (you get bugger all at birth.) The countreymen I know love their kids like life itself. But they are given the same sort of freedom I had as a kid. (broke skin. broke bones) I weep for this generation of Aussie kids, sanitised houses, sanitised schools, sterile lives. But thats Mexico forya!


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## CaptainRatbag (Nov 20, 2012)

+1 Elipidae and Steve  Spot on


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## JosPythons (Nov 21, 2012)

Elapidae1 said:


> I Was fishing in Anhem land a couple of years ago my first time in the top end and fairly nervous about crocs only to see an indigenous family, kids splashing around and mum casting a net knee deep in the water. First off I thought they were crazy then I thought to myself who am I in their country to be critical of what looked like a relaxing day out for the family and some tucker that evening.
> A couple of years ago a father was taken by a great white at my local beach while diving for crabs with his son. I weighed up what I perceived to be the risks of it happening again and went in two days later, got a good feed of crabs and a few mouthfuls from beach goers for my stupidity.
> Point is we all take risks to varying degrees and at 11-12 years old I had free run of my neighbourhood we did some bloody stupid things but came out for the most part unscathed. We spent entire school holidays exploring the underground drainage systems under the town. There were huge yabbies in there that we deemed safe to eat seeing as they could survive in the drains anyway. Nowadays they are all heavily padlocked and caged and entry is only with full weather reports, gas testing, confined space permits and blahdy blah.
> If something had happened no doubt the parenting skills of my folks would have been bought into question. But seeing as we turned out all right they did a good job by not wrapping us in cotton wool.
> ...



Well said.....

This was a sad thing that happened and yes.....people are going to want to blame someone/something. Some are quick to blame the parents/child for their "irresponsible actions", others are quick to blame the croc "it should be killed, it killed a child". Point is, no one was to blame in this instance, it was a tragic accident that may or may not have been avoided.....we will never know, we are just speculating on something that was read in a news article.....we weren't there.

We share this planet with a number of different species whether they be domestic animals, wild, predatory....it's a fact and we, as the "intellectual" species of the planet, just need to be more aware of our surroundings.......just saying.


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## cement (Nov 21, 2012)

Some of the registered attacks that I looked at also described the events as well, where possible (eg- if there were eyewitnesses).
It seems to me at this stage, that crocs have generalised behaviour patterns, but every now again you will get a bad boy.
I found that any wild croc I was close too, that was under 2.5 meters was spooked by me either in my tinnie or on foot, and would take off and run from me. So I think ok, if there under 2.5m they aren't a problem. Then I read about one attack that was on a bloke in his boat where a 2m croc launched into the boat and grabbed him on the shoulder. he had to fight if off, and he did and survived, but it makes you wonder.
There were other accounts that made my hairs stand on end when I read them, one on a 13-14yr old boy who got taken while mucking around a river with his mates. His mates didn't realise he had been taken but this croc pops up close to them with their mate in its mouth dead and looks at them, slowly swimming past them and off with their buddy. This same scene has happened with other attacks too. Not a nice moment in time for the witnesses.
Most attacks, probably could have been avoided though, simply by just not going in the water. One in the Barron river where a group of party goers decided to go in to cool off on a hot night. Water was only 2ft deep, a large croc simply got right in amongst the group grabbed a woman and just carried her away. She was killed.
I heard heaps of people tell me I would be right in my boat, and I was. But fishing one day off the tip of Cape York (Roonga pt)a very large salty popped up about 50ft away (looking straight at us) went under, then came up again 25 ft away, went back under, (by now I had the anchor up) about 30ft away there was an almighty tail slash which was bigger then my 4m tinny and then a croc popped up about 15 ft away from the splash looking directly at us, with its back out of the water it came in and was coming fast. So i got the motor going and got out. It was definatly the biggest croc I have ever seen, circa 16-18ft conservatively. Not sure wether there was just one, or two there fighting, but I heard from the croc tent that one of their friends boat had been acted menacingly towards by a smaller female the day before, so there may have been a nest site nearby.
The more I learn about them the more respect I have for them and a big part of that is that they can be predictable to a point, with the odd one doing things that aren't considered 'normal' behaviour.


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## CaptainRatbag (Nov 22, 2012)

I am pretty sure that crocks are so smart and so cunning.... they are aware of thier own size and the size of the prey 'you' and stategise as to whether they can handle prey your size.... or not... and they are quite happy to back down (or run away) if they think they wont be able to defeat the prey. I think they are also smart enough to know that a person in a boat, is just that... the boat/canoe is not part of the food.... it is just like a 'wrapper' to us, with food inside.


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## PilbaraPythons (Nov 22, 2012)

I did a two day canoeing camping trip down the Johnstone river a few years back and canoed through deep sections where large crocs have often been seen. In one section it was straight out spooky and I felt very vulnerable in the canoe (which crocs have been known to attack) in this one particular spot where the dirt banks were completely vertical and there was no way you could climb up them if it all went horribly wrong. My friend up from Sydney who was in the front of this two man canoe was quite happy to just float there forever and flick his lures. I just wanted get the @#$% out of there. Mind you I lived in that area and did enough croc spotting with the previous owner of the local croc farm to know what lived there, and in good numbers.


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## CaptainRatbag (Nov 22, 2012)

A good trick is to always have cans of aeroguard on you/with you.... in a kayak, have a can tapet to the paddle for quick access... if you do happen to see one coming towards you... spray some about and use it like mace if it pokes its head up anywhere near you (in range) :lol:

I heard that on a show about some guy in africa, when he is where lions, tigers, hippos and monkeys and things are he always carries small cans at the ready in his pockets, almost in like holsters on his belt, in boats and vehicles bigger cans.... you know what it is like if you spray yourself in the face by accident..... with a wild creature coming at you, they change thier mind quite rapidly from the stink of aeroguard or its similar equivellants in other countries. I reckon it would make a crock think twice about attacking a tinny if every time it did it got blasted with aeroguard :shock::lol:


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## Marzzy (Nov 22, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> I am pretty sure that crocks are so smart and so cunning.... they are aware of thier own size and the size of the prey 'you' and stategise as to whether they can handle prey your size.... or not... and they are quite happy to back down (or run away) if they think they wont be able to defeat the prey. I think they are also smart enough to know that a person in a boat, is just that... the boat/canoe is not part of the food.... it is just like a 'wrapper' to us, with food inside.



Love the way you put that it 
"The boat/Canoe is not a part of food
It is just like a wrapper to us With Food Inside"


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## cement (Nov 22, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> I am pretty sure that crocks are so smart and so cunning....



I disagree. A large croc has a tiny brain. They are ambush hunters by instinct, and territorial displays are the same. The best I can say for there analytical ability is they can sense a sick or injured animal and will target that.


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## Magpie (Nov 22, 2012)

I was in a smallish (4m) kayak when a large (4-4.5m) croc popped up out of very deep water right next to me.
The croc panicked just as much as i did believe it or not, soaking me with it's tail and it rushed to get away.
Anpother croc charged down a steep bank literally knocking small trees over in it's hurry to get into the water on our (two of us) way back, having encountered us on the way downstream. It then leapt off a 1m bank into the water. It wasn't attacking, it was trying to get to the safety of water.
If they saw the kayak as just "a wrapper" and the human as food, there would be no reason for them to act that way.


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## Sleazy.P.Martini (Nov 22, 2012)

cement said:


> I disagree. A large croc has a tiny brain. They are ambush hunters by instinct, and territorial displays are the same. The best I can say for there analytical ability is they can sense a sick or injured animal and will target that.



I have to agree. If crocs were smart croc handlers would be chopped left and right. Every day they enter through the same gate for shows, at the same time, if they were smart they would lay in wait behind a bush and ambush a handler. They work on instinct not intelligence


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## PilbaraPythons (Nov 22, 2012)

Canoes can be risky simply because territorial males can think the shape of the canoe from underneath is another croc.


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## Magpie (Nov 22, 2012)

PilbaraPythons said:


> Canoes can be risky simply because territorial males can think the shape of the canoe from underneath is another croc.



Yup, reckon that was what happened, then he popped up, saw it wasn't a croc and took off.


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## SteveNT (Nov 22, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> A good trick is to always have cans of aeroguard on you/with you.... in a kayak, have a can tapet to the paddle for quick access... if you do happen to see one coming towards you... spray some about and use it like mace if it pokes its head up anywhere near you (in range) :lol:
> 
> I heard that on a show about some guy in africa, when he is where lions, tigers, hippos and monkeys and things are he always carries small cans at the ready in his pockets, almost in like holsters on his belt, in boats and vehicles bigger cans.... you know what it is like if you spray yourself in the face by accident..... with a wild creature coming at you, they change thier mind quite rapidly from the stink of aeroguard or its similar equivellants in other countries. I reckon it would make a crock think twice about attacking a tinny if every time it did it got blasted with aeroguard :shock::lol:



We are doing egg collection in Feb. No moretien but a .45 hand gun just in case!

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cement said:


> I disagree. A large croc has a tiny brain. They are ambush hunters by instinct, and territorial displays are the same. The best I can say for there analytical ability is they can sense a sick or injured animal and will target that.



That "tiny brain" is the equivalent of our cerebral cortex and it has made them smart enough to outlast the dinosaurs and probably us. As someone who meets them regularly I have no hesitation in telling you they are intelligent and calculating, I have watched two of them work together to take a blue heeler, including one staying motionless while the dog nipped his tail and the other sneaking up behind and grabbing said dog. Then sharing their prize. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE CROCS IN ANY SITUATION!


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## Elapidae1 (Nov 22, 2012)

Hmmm doesn't necessarily make them smart.

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would they have lasted in Aus if we continued to hunt them?
Evolution made them an apex predator pure instinct and a body built for it's climate, habitat and killing. has seen it last not brains me thinks.


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## CaptainRatbag (Nov 23, 2012)

I actually agree... prolly smart is the wrong word. They are definately cunning, and as Steve said, they can work in teams and actively hunt prey (or you) and seem to be able to plan what they are going to do, rather than just attack you and see what happens..... that and they seem to calculate, and if they cant achieve the result, they will back off and think about trying again. 

Sure, they arent smart enough to counter humans who fly in in helicopters and carry firearms.... destroy thier (the crocks) habitat.... and are even 3/4 of the way to destroying the whole planet 

So, they arent 'that smart' but boy, I wouldnt be underestimating what they can come up with if they want you and you arent prepared :shock:


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## mungus (Nov 23, 2012)

As if I'd get in a canoe in waters that contain croc's !!
A 5m plate aluminum Boat would be more like it )


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## SteveNT (Nov 23, 2012)

Elapidae1 said:


> Hmmm doesn't necessarily make them smart.
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> 
> ...



Graeme Webb, world renowned croc expert " Give me the Navy, the Army and the Airforce and I could not make saltwater crocs extinct in the Top End."


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## cement (Nov 23, 2012)

SteveNT said:


> We are doing egg collection in Feb. No moretien but a .45 hand gun just in case!
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> 
> ...



They are certainly the most intelligent of all reptiles. I guess you would know Steve how hard it is to catch the same croc the same way twice...so they do learn. I figure if one gets a person out of a boat or a canoe once then they can use that experience to do it again. They have social heirachy, the ability to hunt together and make 'friendships' with other crocs for life that goes beyond just recognizing each other. I guess having the best survival skills may seem intelligent. And at the end of the day, when in their element, what more do they need?


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## CaptainRatbag (Nov 23, 2012)

mungus said:


> As if I'd get in a canoe in waters that contain croc's !!
> A 5m plate aluminum Boat would be more like it )



With a dillon minigun mounted on the front.... at least :lol:


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## crocodile_dan (Nov 26, 2012)

I agree with Steve and Cement's points that they are "smart/intelligent" in relation to animals excluding higher order mammals and birds. I have heard secondhand information as to their intelligence and also experienced their level of "intelligence" myself. I personally believe they do learn and remember (perhaps to a certain extent).

I have found the crocs I've worked with to be very 'tuned-in' and aware, there are countless times I would be cleaning an exhibit (most times I had a backup/spotter) keeping one eye on the croc for 5-10 mins at a time and when I had to take my eye off them for 10-20 seconds they would almost without fail be ready and waiting lining me up at the water's edge (please note that if/when I took my eyes off them I made sure I was several meters outside of the strike range!).

They also treat individual keepers VERY different! They may not be "intelligent" but they deserve more credit than most people give them.


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## tropicbreeze (Nov 27, 2012)

Whether you want to categorise them as intelligent or not doesn't really matter. Sort of like the now discredited IQ tests that were considered the be all in assessing peoples intelligence. It was realised later that all those tests measured was the persons ability to do those tests, and people began to question what actually was intelligence.

I've lived amongst crocs for over 25 years now, including a number of years near where that young girl was recently taken. I never underestimate them, I fully intend to stay a survivor. But I'll tell you about a croc we put a satellite tracker on and found out what it got up to while out of (visual) sight. It's a male measuring 4.3 metres long. Early one wet season it set off out of its territory and made the journey over 100 kms down the river to where it spills out into vast floodplains. This river doesn't have a distinct mouth to the sea, it's just numbers of tidal creeks. To get down the river it had to make its way past the "Gatekeepers", larger more dominant crocs that held the territory along the river. It found its way across the floodplains to one of the salt arms and into the sea. 

Then it travelled past 2 major river systems covering more than 100 kms of coastline. It reached a larger river system and turned up stream. It went beyond the tidal reach again passing many "Gatekeepers" and over the floodplains to where it spent several weeks. From there it moved down stream again and out to sea. Reaching the sea it moved further along the coast to the next major river system which it also entered. 

Never stayed too long in that river because the wet season was coming to an end. It returned to the sea and began making its way along the coast towards its home river. Found the tidal creek linking to the floodplain. With dropping water levels the risk was that it could end up cut off before reaching its own territory in the upper reaches of the river. Another risk was that with smaller and narrower water bodies, it would be far more difficult to get past the Gatekeepers unseen. (I suggested we check it by chopper to see how many legs it had still left).

Anyway, it managed to make the rest of the journey before dropping water levels made it impossible to get back home. Now, it wasn't using our satellite tracker to navigate (we deliberately leave off any controls on the unit to prevent that, LOL). So, what would you call the ability to navigate that distance, know when there'd still be enough water to get back home, and do the return navigation?


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## SteveNT (Nov 27, 2012)

Functional intelligence


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## cement (Nov 27, 2012)

I've heard of the amazingly delicate sensory organs of the crocs like smell, taste, whatever it is that picks up waterborne vibrations and hearing etc. If it's travelling along a coastline it can use the coastline as a reference (like I used the rivers in NZ back country when hunting). Is it possible that it can 'taste' the different waterways? Reptiles must have a built in nav system, it may not give them compass bearings, but I am sure they 'feel' direction and have the ability to use coastlines or islands as references.
How all this sensory info is processed by the animal, I guess, is the product of years of evolution. Maybe avoiding the bigger ones at the river mouths and along it's journey is just a matter of communication between crocs (by scent, sound etc) and a respectful distance is always kept between them. He quite possibly had a few hairy moments, but got by.
I was amazed at how my wife's intuition started to really kick in, the longer we were in the bush. She was spotting everything, all the crocs, even ones that I didn't see (but i was fishing). She never missed one. But we all experienced that feeling of electric eeriness which lead up to us running from a very large one. I have heard of other people picking up on the same feeling, either from being watched or stalked, or in close proximity to dangerous animals. Maybe its this sense that gets dulled in humans by living in normal safe, comfy environments that is real intelligence. Remote country always makes me feel alive and recharges the batteries.


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## crocodile_dan (Nov 28, 2012)

I've heard about long-distance navigation in crocs from Prof. Craig Franklin during my undergrad work. I always believed that it was linked to the earth's magnetic field, I'm not sure if that was supported from my lectures for crocs (I can't access my notes) but sea turtles use geomagnetic maps so without researching further or access to my notes that remains my understanding/hypothesis.


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## cement (Nov 29, 2012)

Fair enough too, like when they are travelling themselves they probably don't need that system, but when someone like steve irwin and Craig Franklin pictkem up in a chopper and drop them wherever, blindfolded, then they must have something of that nature to find there way back... The old magnetic feild theory, hope one day there will be a way to prove it.


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## Georgia_Shearn (Nov 30, 2012)

I live in the area and the little girl who was taken was a local indigenous girl, many of the children, and adults, are at the water fishing and playing at the beach. Being taken by a croc doesn't mean they have to be in the water.. It's so sad for her community though


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## cement (Nov 30, 2012)

Georgia, when I was in Cairns I met a local (family) on the beach and the water was very murky. Their three boys aged from just toddler up to maybe 4-5 yr old were playing on the beach at the waters edge, and so were their two dogs. He was fishing and we were invited to have a few beers with them so we stayed and chat for a couple of hrs while the sun went down. When we asked about the possibility of croc attack he simple said , "look there could be 6m one right there now, we wouldn't be able to see it... but what do you do, we have to live our life and have fun too, can't let them stop us doing that." Me and my missus thought that was a bit strange when you consider whats around there, we could see the Daintree River mouth from where we were.
Is this the mentality up that way too? 
I don't mean any offence here.


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## butters (Nov 30, 2012)

A few years ago a friend of mine was taken by a croc on the cobourg peninsula. He was a diver and knew the risks having dived around the top end for many, many years.

I went diving with him a number of times around the top end. Mostly around nhulunbuy through the wessells group, English company group and wigram island. Absolutely awesome part of the world and some of the sunsets and sunrises have been the best I have ever seen. The fishing was unbelievable too, as were the herps on some of the islands.

We always saw plenty of crocs and whenever I asked him why he never seemed to be bothered by them his reply was , there were areas he wouldn't go, but on the whole if you saw the croc it wasn't a major issue. It's the ones you didn't see that were the worry.

Well in the end he failed to see one and that was it. He knew the risks, took what precautions he could, accepted what might happen but in the end it wasn't enough.
I took the same risks when I dived with him.

Totally different situation with this poor kid. Where she was taken there had been no records of crocs although it is the top end. You can say people shouldn't swim anywhere except south of Gladstone but over 100 years ago a large croc was found in the Logan river south of Brisbane. Should people not swim there? There are documented records of crocs in the river which is more than for where this poor girl was taken.


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