A woman who was “taking underwater photos” and swimming in a freshwater river had no idea what was actually moving beneath her until she got home and reviewed the footage, but a 3-metre-long crocodile I was shocked to learn that I had come so close.
On a hot Queensland day on Saturday, mother-of-five Alicia May took her children for a cool dip at the Rollingstone Creek swimming hole north of Townsville.
While floating on the surface, she thought of taking video of the water below while filming children playing in the relatively clear water a few meters away, completely unaware of any danger. . But when she got home and saw the footage, she noticed something that made her heart stop.
Alicia told the ABC: “I was a bit shocked to see something quite large in the video, so I slowed it down, paused it and zoomed in.”
“I see two legs.” [and] You can see the tail at the end. I'm like, 'Wait…this really looks like a crocodile.'
Wildlife officials later confirmed it was a crocodile, estimated to be 3 meters long. Alicia said her family has been swimming at the popular spot for more than 10 years, but she says she won't be going back.
“I'm scared to be honest,” she told 7News Townsville. “There are some places in the mountains where you can hike, so I'm going to swim there, but unfortunately that's it.”
Tony Frisbee, senior wildlife officer for the state's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI), said he should consider himself “pretty lucky.” “The person told us he was swimming on a flotation device and taking underwater photos of the clear water below,” he said.
“When she got home and checked the photos, she spotted what she believed to be a crocodile and did the right thing by filing a report.
The idea that crocodiles don't live in freshwater streams is 'wrong'
Rangers said common misconceptions could lull people into a false sense of security.
“This person, and others who swam in that section of the river over the weekend, can consider themselves extremely lucky. “If we do, we believe we're safe in Clock Country. We were misguided,” Frisbee warned.
He said crocodiles are “very mobile” and are known to “move up rivers and streams” to source fresh water and eat animals that come down to the banks to drink. explained.
“You never know what's lurking in our waterways, and people need to make smart choices when they're on the water in Clock Country,” he says. “Wildlife officers conducted a field assessment on land using a drone and found no evidence of an animal present.
“Crocodile sighting warning signs have recently been placed at the location and wildlife officers are planning nighttime spotlight assessments. “People are responsible for their own safety and should always be aware of crocodiles in the Townsville area. We need to take action.”
The freshwater area of Rolling Stone Creek where the alligator was spotted is classified as Zone E, meaning it is known as a “general management area.”
“This means that crocodiles exhibiting dangerous behavior are subject to removal from the wild.”
DESI encourages anyone who spots a crocodile to report the sighting as soon as possible.
This can be done using the QWildlife app, by filling out a crocodile sighting report on the DESI website or by calling 1300 130 372. The department investigates all alligator sighting reports it receives.
The discovery was announced on the same day that Noosa beachgoers were ordered to leave a popular beach after a shark was seen swimming offshore.
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