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EERIE footage of a saltwater crocodile being fed at the same fishing spot a tourist is thought to have been fatally attacked has emerged.
The clip reveals a group of people excitedly discovering a “big” croc known to frequent the “Crocodile Bend”, at the Annan River Bridge.
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Channel 7 News
Channel 7 NewsThey chuck small fish frames into the riverbank and the reptile eagerly rises to wolf down the treats, despite it being discouraged by authorities.
A young female voice then asks: “Is that the big one?” to which a woman, presumably her mother whispers: “I don’t know, big enough”.
The girl then laughs as she instructs her mum to “attack” the river with the crocodile feed.
The greedy croc jumps again to aggressively swallow the next slither of fish, chomping loudly to their horror.
A man then utters: “Wow”, before chuckling with the group, presumed to be his family, then see the reptile descend back into the water.
Just days after the haunting footage seen by Yahoo News Australia, a tourist was savagely attacked at the popular riverbank.
It’s thought that the man’s attacker may be the same crocodile seen lurking in the footage.
The Aussie dad, 40, was holidaying with his family in the coastal Queensland town of Cooktown before the vicious assault.
He was dragged underwater by the beast on Saturday as his wife and children watched on in despair.
The New South Wales (NSW) family are thought to have been on a caravan trip when he went missing and horror struck.
Neither the man nor the crocodile resurfaced and the dad is presumed dead.
Cooktown cop Greg Finucane told reporters: “He was on the river bank and he was with family.
“A crocodile was seen in the vicinity. It was a large crocodile, according to witnesses.”
Prior to the chilling footage, cops reportedly declined to comment on speculation that people had been feeding crocodiles in the vicinity.
Authorities intend to capture the crocodile which hasn’t been spotted since the man disappeared underwater.
The search for the man continued into Sunday night and Monday but has had difficult conditions.
Sergeant Finucane continued: “It’s basically a search and rescue mission.
“We’ve been patrolling the river bank. It’s quite a large area, approximately 5km [3 miles] of waterway.
“It is tidal. It’s affected by currents, also weather and the natural movement of crocodiles has to be taken into account.
“We’ll continue search and rescue procedures, utilising drones and water craft and specialist units from the far north region.”
Experts had reportedly recently taken drone footage of a crocodile at the spot and is estimated to be a whopping 4.8m long.
A local told the Cairns Post: “People throw roadkill in for it to eat and he could have been sitting there 15ft under the water waiting for a feed.
Five facts about the saltwater crocodile
- Saltwater crocodiles are the largest crocodile species in the world, and the largest living reptile in the world. Other species of crocodile include: Nile Crocodile, American Crocodile, Freshwater Crocodile, Gharial Crocodile and the American Alligator.
- Male saltwater crocodiles have been recorded at lengths of 23 feet. Females are much smaller, growing to be about 10 feet long. The worlds largest crocodile, Cassius, resides in a wildlife park in Queensland, Australia.
- Saltwater crocodiles communicate using several sounds, including barking, hissing, growling and chirps.
- Crocodiles are as old as dinosaurs. Saltwater Crocodiles are one of the oldest creatures to walk the planet. They first appeared over 240 million years ago, during the time of the dinosaurs. While others have evolved into different shapes and forms, the crocs stuck have stuck to the same structure for the last 200 million years.
- Crocodiles lay eggs. Saltwater Crocodiles breed during the wet season, and females can lay up to 50 eggs, which they build nests for along the nearby river banks. The eggs incubate for around 3 months before hatching. Only 1 per cent of hatchlings survive into adulthood
“We have had a bit of rain, so the bank would be soft and even if he wasn’t near the edge it could have fallen away beneath him.
“It’s just horrendous and everyone is feeling about the family, to watch that happen in front of you is unthinkable.”
Crocodile Bend is renowned to be a crocodile activity hotspot.
Tommy Hayes, who claims to have seen the same croc two years ago told Yahoo News Australia: “People aren’t being evil when they feed crocodiles, it’s from an innocent place.
“And it’s cool having an interaction with a big thing that eats meat.But it doesn’t make it okay. It’s illegal.
“And it ends up bad for the crocodile who gets shot, and the person who gets eaten.”
Visitors have been urged by locals to find a safer spot to fish, warning the steep banks make it difficult to escape a potential crocodile ambush.
Queensland’s department of environment (DESI) confirmed to Yahoo News that crocodiles in the Annan River had been fed.
They said: “People are responsible for their own safety in croc country, and we’re asking people to make sensible croc choices around the water.
“That means never deliberately feeding crocodiles or giving them easy access to food.
“Crocodiles will quickly get accustomed to free food and will start approaching people and may start behaving aggressively.”
They urged anyone aware of deliberate crocodile feeding in Queensland state to report it, and it can be done anonymously.
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