Aussies warned of hidden danger as 'amazing' croc vanishes in seconds
An increase in 'unsafe activity' in croc regions around the country has prompted a dire warning from one local.
An eye-opening video filmed at a popular Aussie hotspot is a stark reminder about why you should never swim in rivers in Far North Queensland.
The Mowbray Bridge, just outside of Port Douglas, is a popular spot for tourists and locals to get a view of the "beautiful beasts" that inhabit the area, local woman Peach Pankhurst told Yahoo News Australia. But her video showing a croc should be a warning for all.
Peach was crossing the bridge on Saturday and decided to "pull over to get a better look" at the crocodiles often sighted in the area. The bridge is "one of the few spots that you can safely view one of the local crocs," she told Yahoo News.
"There’s a viewing platform from above and in the warmer months, you’re more likely to see them cooling down in the water," she explained. "We were lucky to spot him as we drove over the bridge."
Croc becomes 'invisible' in seconds
The video filmed on Saturday shows the native animal floating in the water before suddenly disappearing beneath the surface.
"I was surprised how quickly he became invisible in the water," Peach said. "It just reinforced that just because you can’t see crocs around doesn’t mean they’re not there".
Peach, who moved to the area from Western Australia, said she's a "staunch advocate for our Australian wildlife" and posted the video on Instagram to help educate others.
"Protecting wildlife through education is so important and I hope to do that through my posts by showing people just how amazing our native animals in Far North Queensland are," she said.
"This is why we don’t swim in the rivers of Far North Queensland. How quickly we lose sight of this beautiful beast under the water," she captioned the video, which many described as "impressive", "amazing" and "epic" in the comments.
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Increase of 'unsafe activity' around crocs
For the most part, locals and tourists do the right thing at this spot, and other parts of Australia, Peach said, but pointed out that "there has been a lot of unsafe activity around crocodiles lately with tourists and locals not being crocwise".
Irresponsible behaviour by people in Croc Country "puts themselves and the crocs in danger," she warned.
"I’d actually say that tourists are probably more careful. They have that healthy fear of these big creatures. But locals can get complacent, taking little risks that then lead to bigger risks over time," she said.
One such example happened at Wujul Wurgul Falls in Far North Queensland recently. A video shared with Yahoo shows a fisherman taunting a croc with their rod.
The animal lays still in the water as the end of the fishing line bounces in and out of the water near its head. Until suddenly the reptile lunges towards the fisherman forcing him to flee.
According to Peach, there are many croc warning signs around this particular area, "and everyone knows they’re there". "I would guarantee that wasn’t a tourist and was probably someone who knew better," she said.
"Croc attacks aren’t common so we all want to think it’ll never happen to us. But the more often we take those little risks it tells our brain nothing happened last time so 'I’ll be fine' — but luck doesn’t last forever," Peach added.
"If a croc attack happens that croc is as good as dead itself because it will be removed and euthanised".
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