The race is on to locate a crocodile reported to have been spotted hundreds of kilometers from ‘Croc Country’.
A member of the public reported a 3-metre-long predator at a boat ramp on the Burnett River in Bundaberg, central Queensland, last Friday, prompting a sweeping response from the state’s environment department and the wildlife officials.
The crocodile was reportedly seen emerging from under a tree to confront the resident, before raising its tail and disappearing into the water.
Witnesses spent an hour searching but the crocodile did not resurface.
The sighting sparked a four-day search of a 14-kilometre stretch of the waterway stretching from the Bundaberg rum distillery to the mouth of the river.
Nearly 100 hours of day and night patrols have yet to reveal any signs of evidence of the reported crocodile, despite extensive search efforts.
“We were looking for telltale signs of crocodiles, such as glowing red eyes at night, claw marks and skid marks in the mud and flattened patches of grass on the banks,” said senior wildlife official Joshua Morris.
‘The investigation will continue throughout the week, which will again include ground searches of the river during the day and night.
Four-day search for crocodile reportedly spotted in Bundaberg to continue after Friday
New warning signs have been installed at the site of the crocodile sighting in the Burnett River.
“We have not received any further reports of sightings from the public and plan to leave the recent crocodile sighting sign at the McGills Street boat ramp until Friday if no further sightings are reported by then.”
Bundaberg is better known for its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and rum production than for crocodile sightings.
If the initial report is true, the rogue crocodile would be the first seen this far south in a decade.
Bundaberg is included in the “Zone F” designation in the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan – an “atypical crocodile habitat”.
“Any crocodile confirmed to be present in Zone F is automatically subject to removal from the wild,” Mr Morris said.
The Fitzroy River crocodiles in Rockhampton, 300 kilometers north of Bundaberg, are considered the southernmost breeding population in the world.
Crocodiles are not known to roam as far south as Bundaberg, and there has not been a confirmed sighting in the area since 2014.
“Regions south of Rockhampton are thought to be too cold in winter to support crocodile populations,” Mr Morris said.
“That’s why only two vagrant crocodiles have been confirmed to occur outside of Croc Country, and those two animals were removed from the Mary River in 2013 and 2014.”
The Boyne River, 170 kilometers northwest of Bundaberg, is considered the southernmost perimeter of “Croc Country”.
The rare sighting prompted an official response which the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation confirmed on Monday.
“I want to assure the community that wildlife officials investigate every crocodile sighting report we receive, and we will conduct a thorough investigation into this report,” Morris said at the time.
“We are asking people in the Bundaberg region to keep an eye on the water during the investigation, which could continue into next week.
“That means keeping kids close and keeping pets leashed and away from the water’s edge.”
Locals were urged to report any possible sightings using the QWildlife app, on the DETSI website or by calling 1300 130 372.