Pictured: Family dog eaten by huge croc in Queensland
WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: A confronting image of a half eaten family dog has been released as there are renewed calls for the culling of crocs in North Queensland.
The pup, a purebred kelpie named Rusty, was taken by a large croc over the weekend at a family property near Innisfail while playing by the waters edge.
The dog’s leg can be seen protruding from the reptile's jaws.
“This image is confronting and frankly heartbreaking for residents who are imagining that dog could have been their beloved pet, or much worse, their child,” MP Shane Knuth told The Cairns Post.
“Attacks are on the rise, the crocs we’re seeing are big, aggressive and territorial, and crocs are surfacing in places they’ve never been before.”
Mr Knuth said the recent rainfall and flooding across the state could lead to more attacks.
“People come to Queensland to enjoy sunshine and beaches, but the image they’re seeing now is croc attacks and croc signs everywhere,” he continued.
“This is a very poor message to promote to international tourism.”
The increasing numbers of crocodile attacks could also jeopardise Queensland's $11 billion tourism industry.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks.
Last month a teenager was bitten on the arm in the Johnstone River in Innisfail and a spearfisherman was also killed in a suspected croc attack south of Cairns.
Last week, video emerged of a furious farmer showing a croc nest merely 80 metres from a residence.
The large female saltwater crocodile has been given free reign to hatch her eggs on a cane farm near Mossman.
The farmer’s repeated attempts to have the large reptile removed from the property have fallen on fallen flat.
The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection wildlife officers have visited the nest, however had deemed it to be low risk.
