A group of young people playing by a creek’s bank have sparked outrage from locals who repeatedly warned them crocodiles feed around the area.
The group of four was spotted near the water’s edge of Myall Creek at Cape Tribulation in northeast Queensland by a local, Luke, on Wednesday.
Luke snapped a photo of their naive frolic and shared it on social media where he slammed their ‘stupid’ behaviour.
Numerous signs erected in the area warned tourists and locals alike to avoid getting too close to the water and Luke said he even saw some in the group go for a dip.
To make matters worse he reported seeing a four-meter crocodile idling nearby ‘for some time’.
He’s now using the group’s ‘stupid’ act to try and encourage others to get crocwise so as to avoid any easily preventable tragedies in the future.
In August a 40-year-old father fishing with his family in Cooktown, 100km north, fell in the water and was never seen alive again.
Rescue teams instead found ‘human remains’ inside a local croc which was then put down.
Facing backlash for not warning the group in the moment, Luke explained he didn’t feel the need to ‘scream like an idiot’ since there were warning signs everywhere.
‘I didn’t use my voice to scream like an idiot all over the river to some people who must be stupid,’ he wrote.
‘The post was to educate more people, it’s common sense that crocs are everywhere in the north [and] you get told at every accomodation don’t go into the water.’
Luke had also talked to a couple of fishermen nearby who said they already told the group to be careful.
Luke claims to have seen hundreds of people getting too close to the waters of Myall Creek in recent months and despite warnings from him many chose not to move.
‘Humans have a brain. They can use them,’ he continued.
‘I’m reaching more people through Facebook than telling 100 people daily.’
Cape Tribulation is located in the Daintree Rainforest which is notorious croc country and the local authority’s website warns visitors to ‘always obey crocodile warning signs’.
This piece of advice is the first point made on its website and secondly visitors are advised to stand back a few metres from the water’s edge.
Those who commented on the post slammed the group’s actions, expressing sympathy for the crocodiles and defending Luke for not confronting them.
‘He doesn’t need to tell them lmao. They’re in crocodile country, there’s plenty of signs. Plenty of warnings. They’re choosing to ignore them,’ one person wrote.
‘There’s a brain in everyone’s head, it’s about time they start using it.’
‘Natural selection at work. Unfortunately the croc suffers for their stupidity,’ a second wrote.
‘The ignorance of people like that p*** me off, then the croc is destroyed for doing what comes natural in their own home,’ a third added.
‘Stupid is as stupid does. The whole area is dotted with warning signs, but people choose to ignore them, because they know better,’ a fourth said.
Mature male Daintree River crocodiles can grow up to six metres in length and female crocodiles in the area can grow to around 3.5 metres.
The Department of Environment and Science has previously warned ‘everyone living and visiting Croc County to make sensible choices when near the water and to always practice CrocWise behaviour’.
Crocodiles often hunt their prey at the water’s edge. If you must move closer to the water’s edge, try to have a sturdy object like an Esky, tree or large rock between you and the water.
Crocodiles are attracted by an easy meal, so make sure you take your food, fish scraps and bait away from the water, camp site and boat ramp. Any scraps left in these areas puts current and future users of the area at risk. Penalties of over $6,000 may apply to those who unintentionally feed crocodiles by discarding food and scraps.
Animals, and dogs in particular, are attractive prey to crocodiles.
The smaller the vessel, the greater the risk—crocodiles have taken people from small vessels such as kayaks and paddleboards.
Crocodile traps are designed to attract hungry crocodiles so avoid fishing and boating near them and never interfere with them. People who deliberately interfere with the operation of crocodile traps face potential penalties of over $26,000.
(Source: Queensland Government)