Aggressive 3.7m croc captured at popular Kimberley spot

A large 3.7 metre crocodile that had been behaving aggressively at a popular fishing and camping spot between Broome and Derby took seven people to capture before being relocated.

The Department of Parks and Wildlife said the male estuarine crocodile lived in a location known as Telegraph Pool on the Fitzroy River, about 150km north of Broome.

DPaW West Kimberley district wildlife officer Peter Carstairs said the reptile had been approaching the southern bank where people had been fishing, and showing signs of aggression.

The DPaW and the Kimberley Land Council Nyikina Mangala Rangers set a trap last week and caught the animal on Sunday night.

The reptile was taken to the Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park near Broome yesterday, where it will become a permanent resident and eventually introduced to a female.

Nyikina Mangala Ranger Cyril Watson said although catching such a large crocodile was an exciting experience, it was also really important for public safety.

“He was really big, it took seven of us to capture him," he said.

“We put a rope around his top jaw and then pulled him out of the cage towards us. We then covered his head and lifted his back legs. He was pretty heavy.

“The croc had been harassing people camping at Telegraph Pool, so it was pretty important that we caught him and relocated him, so everyone could be safe."

Mr Carstairs said a lot of crocodile sighting reports are received at this time of year because there more people visit during the cooler weather.

“People see more of them and there is more human interaction with crocodiles,” he said.

“These crocodiles generally reside in the area and we only remove the one which are deemed to be a problem.”

He said the DPaW had received a report a large crocodile at Telegraph Pool had walked out of the water and through a campsite at night.

“That was not ideal, and we had to act in the interests of public safety,” Mr Carstairs said.

“This was one of the larger size crocs we have captured in the West Kimberley but there are larger ones out there.”

Mr Carstairs said it was important to report crocodile sightings to the DPaW first before posting messages and pictures on social media.

“We found out about this through second hand information on Facebook, which is not what we want,” he said.

“We want people to call the department first so we can act accordingly.”

Ring the DpaW on 9195 5500 if you spot a crocodile.