14-Foot Crocodile Attacks Houseboat in Queensland; Why Do Crocs Enter the Marina?

A 14-foot crocodile attacked a houseboat dweller. Authorities captured it successfully, but it "put up a fair fight" before captivity.

Huge Crocodile Put Up A Fight Before Authorities Captured It

The crocodile, which was 13.7 feet long, attacked Dean Grieve, the owner of the houseboat in the Cardwell marina in Australia's Northern Queensland. The croc was also suspected of having attacked and taken Grieve's pet dog several weeks earlier. Fortunately, Grieve avoided its maw and lived to share his story.

He reported the incident to Queensland's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation. Authorities promptly responded, and the crocodile was captured using a baited trap on Monday (May 13). However, it was not easy to capture the huge crocodile.

"He put up a fair fight," said Ella Meeve, a Department of Environment, Science and Innovation Wildlife Officer.

According to the authorities, the croc was a saltwater crocodile. They are the largest crocodile species and can grow up to 20 feet long. They are considered to be the deadliest in the world, killing roughly 1,000 people annually, and they can be found across most of Southeast Asia and northern Australia.

There are an estimated 200,000 of these crocodiles in Australia's rivers, and about one person is assaulted annually, and one person dies from them every few years.

Per Meeve, it was important that every crocodile sighting be reported. This will reportedly help them understand the animals' location and behavior. They also investigate every report they receive, which keeps the public safe. The Queensland Crocodile Management Plan states that crocodiles who display aggressive behavior and put the public at risk may be "targeted for removal."

Why Were The Crocodiles Trapped in the Marina?

Aside from the recently captured crocodile, a 10-foot crocodile was also trapped in the same marina on May 8. The experts believed that the crocodiles entered the area and hung around boats for a reason—they were deliberately fed, or discarded fishing bait attracted them.

In a statement following the May 8 capture, Lindsay Delzoppo, director of Northern Wildlife Operations for the Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, said there were no turtles in the marina and relatively few fish. Thus, they believed that another factor drew the crocodiles to the marina.

These reptiles have a highly developed sense of smell, which may have drawn them in because our workers today saw baited crab pots on pontoons in the marina. Crocodiles can detect animal carcasses on land and in the water from a great distance.

So, they request residents of Croc Country to properly dispose of unwanted bait and fish frames at home or in bins provided by authorities at boat ramps. Crocodiles are attracted to the marina for one reason—food. When given free food, crocodiles will rapidly become habituated to approaching humans and may even exhibit hostile behavior, similar to what happened to the target animal at the marina.

The Department of Environment, Science, and Innovation will temporarily shelter the two animals, who will be regarded as "icon" crocodiles due to their size.

This implies that the relevant Traditional Owners must be consulted when deciding where to put and house the crocodile. Additionally, it states that the animal may only be kept by a zoo or registered crocodile farm that consents to use it for teaching about crocodile ecology and conservation.

Check out more news and information on Crocodiles in Science Times.