Wildlife authorities in Australia were hunting on Friday for a saltwater crocodile after police found the ferocious reptile in a home and released it near a popular swimming hole, thinking it was a relatively harmless freshwater croc, national radio reported.
A woman in the small north-western town of Kununurra called police after finding the crocodile taped up in her laundry, unaware that it was being stored there by her son’s friend, who is a licensed catcher, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.
Police released the 1,8m-long reptile into a branch of Lake Kununurra, a popular recreation area on the town’s edge, after mistaking it for a freshwater crocodile — a far less aggressive species.
Wildlife authorities called on the public to keep children and dogs away from the lake until the “saltie” can be recaptured.
“It’s not considered dangerous to adult humans, being only 1,8m long, but obviously we wouldn’t want to see any children or dogs swimming in the water until we can recapture it,” Brad Rushforth from the local conservation department told ABC.
Rangers set a trap and were patrolling the lake in search of the crocodile.
“If we find it, we will attempt to harpoon it and remove it from the lake,” Rushforth said.
Considered among the deadliest hunters on earth, the aggressive saltwater crocodiles inhabit swamps and waterways throughout Australia’s north. They can grow up to 7m in length and can weight more than a tonne.
There have been 14 confirmed fatal crocodile attacks in Australia in the past 27 years, the last a 22-year-old man taken in December 2003 as he waded in a river. — AFP