Photo of tourists leaves local Aussies stunned: 'Absolute madness'
A local Queensland man who snapped the picture criticised the tourists for 'idiotic' behaviour just weeks after one man was taken by a crocodile.
A group of overly cavalier tourists who spent hours fishing perilously close to the edge of a notorious stretch of creek known to be home to large saltwater crocodiles have been called out for their reckless behaviour in the wake of fatal croc attacks in the state.
After an image of the scene was shared online, the men were criticised for putting themselves and the "large saltie" who resides in the area in danger. That's right, not only were Aussies concerned for the men, but also the fate of the croc should another human attack take place.
Local man Mark Dendaool took the photo after he wandered down to the creek at Cape Tribulation in northeast Queensland on Monday. It was there he spotted the Englishmen idly sitting in camping chairs, centimetres from the water with fishing lines in.
Dendaool, who confirmed the location to Yahoo News, was in complete shock — dumbfounded that anyone would ignore the signs dotted around the area which explain a crocodile had been sighted in the last seven days.
"Absolute f***ing madness... [it's] a creek I have visited many times over the years as a large saltie resides here and can be reliably spotted," he said, sharing his alarm with other locals online.
"A group of English blokes [were] trying their hand at fishing for what appeared to be the first time."
In a bid to warn the tourists of the potential danger they were putting themselves in, Dendaool approached the men. However, he said they were unfazed about the croc warnings and instead seemed only concerned about whether it was a good place to catch some fish.
"When I tried to give them a very measured education on their idiotic behaviour they simply said, 'We saw a wee one earlier, I guess the big one is here lurking somewhere. Have you caught any fish here?'," he recalled.
Fisherman unknowingly stands centimetres from crocodile: 'So close'
Expat shocked by scary sign as she realises why running track is so quiet
Area known for large crocodiles
Cape Tribulation is situated in the Daintree Rainforest where many crocodiles are known to reside. The first piece of advice listed on the local authority's website is to 'always obey crocodile warning signs' and fishermen are advised to stand back a few metres from the water's edge.
Neither of these pieces of advice were followed in this instance.
"Equal parts anger and sadness towards this kind of behaviour but at the end of the day I suppose it is what it is, you can't fix stupid," Dendaool said.
Earlier this month, a Queensland crocodile believed to be responsible for a fatal attack on a tourist was killed by authorities. The large male croc was located in a small creek about 4 kilometres upstream from where the incident occurred in the Annan River at Cooktown. The 40-year-old father was fishing with his family in the afternoon on Saturday August 3 when he fell into the water and failed to resurface. "Human remains" were later found inside the croc.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
