Gruesome four-metre croc photo sparks investigation into who killed it
An investigation has been ramped up into the shooting of a massive crocodile in Far North Queensland.
Authorities suspect the 4.3 metre croc found dead on a river bank near Innisfail last month is the same as the one pictured next to a young man.
The man in the photo is completely dwarfed by the monstrous croc, which is being held up from its jaw by rope.
In a statement, the Department of Environment and Science said they were investigating the “suspicious death”.
“On Sunday 29 April 2018, DES wildlife officers recovered the carcass of a 4.3 metre estuarine crocodile from the banks of the South Johnstone River at a farm at Wangan, south of Innisfail,” the statement read.
“The animal appeared to have been shot.”
The snapshot has now been removed from Facebook but the Environment Department wants to talk to the man in the photo.
MP Bob Katter claims wildlife officers should be sympathetic to local residents.
“We would have hoped that these people were trained to protect people not to punish people for protecting people,” Mr Katter told 7 News.
The penalty for killing a crocodile can be up to $28,000.
