Advertisement

'What's wrong with people?' Grisly theory behind gruesome croc discovery

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: A crocodile has been found decapitated in the Northern Territory.

A man found the headless beast at Crystal Rapids in Katherine on August 14 and shared photos of the grisly find on Facebook.

“What is wrong with people?” one woman wrote.

A spokeswoman for NT’s Department of Tourism, Sport and Culture told Yahoo News Australia an investigation is underway to find who killed the animal.

A decapitated croc lies floating in water at Crystal Rapids in Katherine. It also had its tail cut off.
A crocodile was found with its head cut off. Source: Facebook

“The rangers are aware of this incident, and are following it up,” she said.

“Such an offence attracts fines of up to $77,500 or five years jail.”

Crocodile expert Adam Britton from Charles Darwin University told Yahoo News he believes the head and tail were cut off with a knife.

“I've seen this kind of thing a lot over the years,” Mr Britton said.

“Occasionally people will find a dead crocodile and souvenir the skull, but often the animal was deliberately or accidentally killed (for example by drowning in a net).”

He added it’s possible it was shot by someone with a dislike of crocodiles.

The end of a crocodile tail sits among leaves at Crystal Rapids, Katherine in the Northern Territory.
The tip of the croc's tail was also cut off. Source: Facebook

“Whatever the reason, they clearly thought the head would make a nice souvenir on the veranda, which is illegal without a permit and risky business because word has a habit of spreading,” Mr Britton said.

“There aren't many genuine reasons why you'd cut the tail tip off and leave it either, maybe they changed their mind about throwing it on the barbecue?

“It's hard to imagine that anyone would actually pay to trophy hunt a freshie - they're about as challenging to shoot as a rock, and hardly an impressive boast.”

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunes or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.