On Monday, authorities killed a large crocodile believed to be responsible for Australia’s second fatal attack within a month.
The most recent victim, a 40-year-old man from New South Wales, had been fishing on Saturday while on vacation with his wife and children. The family was traveling through Queensland with a trailer, according to police. Government conservation officer Daniel Guymer reported that the man fell into the Annan River, south of Cooktown. His body has not yet been recovered.
Bart Harrison, a resident of Cooktown, explained that the riverbank collapsed beneath the victim’s feet, causing him to fall more than 6 meters (20 feet) into the river, which is well-known as a crocodile habitat.
“It’s straight up and down. It’s a dangerous spot to be fishing,” Harrison said. “We grew up watching the Crocs swim around there, and I wouldn’t go near that edge. There are always one or two big crocodiles living there.”
Guymer mentioned that the suspected crocodile, identified by a scar on its snout, was found in a creek 4 kilometers (about 2.5 miles) away from the incident site. Witnesses reported seeing crocodiles in the area known locally as Crocodile Bend.
“Wildlife officers have humanely euthanized a large crocodile approximately 4.9 meters (16 feet) in length, believed to be responsible for the fatal attack,” Guymer informed reporters. “The animal had markings on its snout that matched the description of the target crocodile,” he added.
This tragedy follows the fatal attack on a 12-year-old girl on July 2. She was snatched while swimming with her family in a creek in the neighboring Northern Territory. Her remains were found days later, and wildlife rangers shot the 4.2-meter (14-foot) crocodile responsible.
This incident marks the third fatal crocodile attack in Australia this year, nearing the record annual death toll of four in 2014. A 16-year-old boy was killed while swimming off a Queensland island on April 18.
Crocodile expert Brandon Sideleau from Charles Darwin University stated that there were likely at least two large crocodiles at the river bend where the latest incident occurred because people had been illegally feeding the crocodiles roadkill, such as dead kangaroos. He noted that the crocodiles had begun to associate humans with food.
Since becoming a protected species under Australian law in the 1970s, the crocodile population has surged across Australia’s tropical north. These reptiles can live up to 70 years.
Sideleau pointed out that there was little evidence explaining why the annual death toll from crocodile attacks in Australia fluctuates. In some years, there have been no deaths.
“All attacks in Australia can be avoided with proper precautions,” he emphasized.

Government authorities are currently investigating a social media video that appears to show a crocodile being fed in the same river.
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Guymer cautioned that feeding dangerous wildlife in Queensland is an offense punishable by a fine of almost 6,500 Australian dollars ($4,200).
“This behavior is very concerning. It’s extremely risky and reckless,” he stated.