Two massive crocodiles were killed while Queensland officials continued their search for Kevin Darmondy, who went missing over the weekend while fishing at Kennedy Bend in Rinyirru National Park.
2 Giant Crocodiles Killed in Queensland
On April 29, emergency services received a call from the Kennedy Bend camping ground at approximately 3:30 pm. A search commenced for the missing man.
On Monday night, two apex predators - measuring 13.5 feet and 9 feet - were removed from the water and euthanized. The giants were found upstream where Darmody was fishing before he went missing, Newsweek reported.
The cause of Darmody's disappearance is still unclear. However, Detective Acting Inspector Jason Chetham said it was possible that a huge crocodile attacked and dragged him into the water.
Chetham explained that they were in a national park, and wild animals, including wild crocodiles, were present. Queensland estuaries are home to roughly 20,000 to 30,000 crocodiles. Twenty percent of them can be found along a short stretch of the northeastern coastline, including Lakefield, where Darmody went fishing and disappeared.
Darmody's pals were convinced that a crocodile attacked him. One of his pals, George Kerridge, paid tribute to him on Facebook and mentioned that he was taken by a croc while fishing in Kennedy River. The reptile reportedly appeared out of nowhere and took him from behind.
According to the Department of Environment and Science, crocodile attacks on people are uncommon; only four fatal assaults have been documented in Queensland over the last ten years. But in recent years, the government has noted an increase in non-fatal attacks. There have been calls to kill the apex predators as a result.
Every attack is a stark reminder of the deadly repercussions of attempting to share waterways with a prehistoric apex predator at the top of the food chain, according to Traeger MP Robbie Katter. He added that the crocs are expanding into regions where they initially didn't exist. Due to this, there have been calls to cull crocodiles.
Conservationists React to Crocs Culling
Conservationists are worried about the widespread eradication of the apex predators for several reasons. First, the exclusion of huge males may result in social unrest within crocodile populations, increasing aggression among other males as they contend for social supremacy.
Cameron Baker, a postdoctoral researcher at Australia's Charles Darwin University, told LiveScience it is challenging to forecast how removing a single giant male crocodile will affect the other crocodiles in the area because they are only beginning to comprehend the social system of crocodiles.
Second, because crocodiles are top predators, eliminating them might disturb the delicate balance of estuary ecosystems by upsetting other animals lower on the food chain.
Crocodile populations and sightings are actively tracked by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science, which has the authority to euthanize any animals that seriously threaten the neighborhood.
To look for new hints about Darmody's disappearance, officials will conduct necropsies on the crocodiles they have collected. The coroner will write a report after the investigation is finished.
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