WEIRD, WHACKY & DOWNRIGHT WONDERFUL (HORRIBLE): Dead crocodiles tell no tales
CROC DECAPITATION
When I first heard back in April that a large crocodile had been killed and decapitated in Cow Bay, my first thought was, why?
I’m still asking that now, over eight months later.
What would motivate someone to kill a large crocodile – four metres or more in length, an iconic apex predator in its own natural environment in the World Heritage Daintree rainforest – and cut off its head?
Was it out of spite? Was it out of anger, after someone was told they could no longer swim at their favourite spot because a large croc had moved in? Was it simply to get attention?
Or, as a resident we spoke to at the time back in April, was it “a trophy-hunting hero act”?
We will probably never know, partly because frankly, the official “investigation” into its death left a lot to be desired.
Despite the Department of Environment and Science (DES) informing us they had “investigated the death and decapitation” of the Cow Bay animal, crocodile advocate Tommy Hayes disputed an earlier DES statement that officers had actually gone to Cow Bay, saying local residents had kept in touch and told him that no one arrived to inspect the dead croc.
“Locals waited for the DES to turn up but they didn’t so they have since buried the croc,” Tommy told this reporter at the time, “which was the right thing to do by it.”
Tommy also said, after his close inspection of the carcass, that it was evident a machete was the most likely means by which the croc had been decapitated, dulling other theories about a shark attack or fight with another croc.
I would ask that surely if a government department was committed to protecting our wildlife, it would do its utmost to get to the bottom of what was by now an increasingly evident case of human interference, and try to bring those responsible to justice as a deterrent?
Senseless act that reverberated worldwide
After our story and when Tommy posted videos and pictures of the tragic, sad Cow Bay crocodile killing, his material and commentary went ‘viral’ across Australia and the world, and brought him thousands of new followers sympathetic to the apparently senseless act.
Then, the following month, there was the death of another, much loved Daintree River crocodile affectionately named ‘Lizzie’, found dead near a jetty and thought to be linked to the killing of the Cow Bay croc.
Shortly after her death a man called a local tour operator, making a deliberate taunt or admission that the caller himself was responsible for both deaths.
But even after a conservation group – Community Representation of Crocodiles (CROC) – along with Crimestoppers put together a $10,000 reward for anyone who could help identify and lead to the arrest any person or persons found responsible for the alleged crimes, no-one has yet been brought to justice.
The outrage that followed the deaths of both iconic crocodiles, not only in far north Queensland itself but around the World, shows that the community expects more to be done to protect and respect these amazing animals.
And since then, crocodile watchers and admirers everywhere have started to put authorities under closer scrutiny about what action they do – and don’t – take when humans decide to senselessly harm or kill crocodiles.
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