A family who went swimming at a popular watering hole was later shocked to discover that there had been a crocodile attack at the location.
The family, Cam and Tiffany Wild, and their two children swam at Wangi Falls, idyllic pools an hour south of Darwin where a grandfather was attacked by an 8-foot saltwater crocodile.
The Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission has since restricted public access to the park.
Those who were swimming in Wangi Falls at the time of the attack got out of the water after the crocodile bit into the 67-year-old victim’s arm.
The beast was shot to death by local rangers on Monday night, who even offered the skull to the victim as a “little souvenir”.
Mr Wild took to social media to share the bizarre experience, writing: “When you think you have this beautiful watering hole all to yourself…and then realize you were sharing it with a crocodile!”
He described the experience as ‘the reality of swimming in the NT’.
“This is the second time in the last two weeks that we have been swimming in water holes that were then closed shortly after due to crocodile sightings.”
The family had been swimming in the popular Bitter Springs, in the Northern Territory’s Elsey National Park, after a 2.5-meter crocodile was spotted in the warm waters.
“Could be limited to swimming pools now,” Mr Wild wrote.
Social media users were relieved to see the family safe after their swim, while also reminding them and others to watch out for crocodiles.
‘Same thing happened to me. My oldest son and I were the only ones in the water. We swam to the middle of the falls and I was like ‘this doesn’t feel good’,” wrote one user.
“We came back and later that week a lady was bitten by a bag of fresh water.”
‘Thank God your swim ended well. Being crocodile safe is mandatory in the north,” a second user wrote.
“Unfortunately, it will take an incident for some people to understand.”
The territory’s government has urged people to swim only in designated safe areas and “never swim in water where crocodiles may live, even if there is no warning sign.”
“Obey all crocodile warning signs – they are there for your safety and protection.”
A young family unknowingly swam in crocodile-infested waters at Wangi Falls, an hour south of Darwin, after an 8-foot crocodile attacked a 67-year-old man earlier that day.
Among those in Wangi Falls at the time of the attack was a holidaying Tasmanian detective, Senior Constable Taneka Starr, whose family was also swimming in the watering hole.
“My family and my children were swimming in the water when people started yelling at everyone to get out,” said Snr Const Starr.
“We formed a circle together to make sure we all got out of the water safely as a group, especially the children.
“Then we saw that a man had suffered arm injuries and together, my sisters and I provided first aid.
‘I’m so glad everyone was okay. It was quite a terrifying experience.
The local crocodile hunter who processed the dead crocodile, Roger Matthews, who turned the crocodile’s meat into pet food, the skin into leather goods, and the fat into soap, offered the crocodile’s skull to the victim.
“If the poor guy is interested, we’ll make him the skull and give it to him as a souvenir of the Northern Territory experience,” he told the media. abc.
Rangers killed the crocodile on Monday night and offered its skull to the “poor fellow” who was attacked earlier that day as a “souvenir of the Northern Territory experience”.
Following the attack, Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said “a discussion needs to be had” about the possible reintroduction of crocodile killing to the territory.
“I think it’s time for us to consider: do we need to go back to culling considering the significant increase in the crocodile population and the impact it is having, not only on our tourists and visitors, but also on the locals,” he said.
The NT crocodile population had grown from around 3,000 to 100,000 since culling ceased in the 1970s.
Dean McAdam, Director of the Northern Australian Parks Department of Environment, Parks and Water Safety, said: “Public safety is our top priority, so please obey all closures and stay out of the water while we complete safety surveys. crocodiles”.
“We work hard to reduce the risk of crocodiles in management areas, however there is always the possibility that they could enter an area undetected.”
