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| Authorities still baffled by headless crocodile found on north Queensland beach | Authorities still baffled by headless crocodile found on north Queensland beach |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Wildlife photographer who examined the reptile says its head was ‘obviously surgically removed’ | Wildlife photographer who examined the reptile says its head was ‘obviously surgically removed’ |
| The mystery of a headless crocodile found on a beach in far north Queensland has baffled authorities and set the internet buzzing with theories of an interspecies face-off, but experts say it’s likely a human took the animal’s head. | The mystery of a headless crocodile found on a beach in far north Queensland has baffled authorities and set the internet buzzing with theories of an interspecies face-off, but experts say it’s likely a human took the animal’s head. |
| The four-metre-long saltwater crocodile was found dead and decapitated on a sandbank near Cow Bay on the edge of the Daintree Rainforest, about 120km north of Cairns, on 12 April. | The four-metre-long saltwater crocodile was found dead and decapitated on a sandbank near Cow Bay on the edge of the Daintree Rainforest, about 120km north of Cairns, on 12 April. |
| Photos of the headless reptile quickly began circulating on social media, sparking theories of the crocodile’s demise, which included a possible altercation with a great white shark, or a vicious battle with a larger crocodile. | Photos of the headless reptile quickly began circulating on social media, sparking theories of the crocodile’s demise, which included a possible altercation with a great white shark, or a vicious battle with a larger crocodile. |
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| However, the zoologist and founder of Crocodylus Park in Darwin, Prof Grahame Webb, said it was extremely unlikely that another wild animal was the culprit. It was much more likely to be a human, he said. | However, the zoologist and founder of Crocodylus Park in Darwin, Prof Grahame Webb, said it was extremely unlikely that another wild animal was the culprit. It was much more likely to be a human, he said. |
| “The one thing you can be sure of is that someone not something has taken its head off,” he said. | “The one thing you can be sure of is that someone not something has taken its head off,” he said. |
| “Whether they killed it and then decided to take its head, or whether they found it already dead can only be determined through an autopsy.” | “Whether they killed it and then decided to take its head, or whether they found it already dead can only be determined through an autopsy.” |
| The Queensland Department of Environment and Science investigated the incident but said it was unable to determine the cause of death and decapitation of the protected species due to the decomposed state of the corpse. | The Queensland Department of Environment and Science investigated the incident but said it was unable to determine the cause of death and decapitation of the protected species due to the decomposed state of the corpse. |
| The north Queensland crocodile photographer and conservationist Tom Hayes, who travelled to see the corpse hours after it was discovered by locals, said it appeared obvious to him that the corpse had been desecrated by a human being. | The north Queensland crocodile photographer and conservationist Tom Hayes, who travelled to see the corpse hours after it was discovered by locals, said it appeared obvious to him that the corpse had been desecrated by a human being. |
| “If it was another crocodile, it would tear it off from the least-resistant point at the spine just above the shoulders – this was obviously surgically removed from the base of the skull,” he told Guardian Australia. | |
| Hayes said the carcass had cut marks that looked like they had come from a machete. It also appeared the animal’s nails and other parts had been ripped off. He said he believed it was likely that the head of the crocodile had been kept as a trophy. | Hayes said the carcass had cut marks that looked like they had come from a machete. It also appeared the animal’s nails and other parts had been ripped off. He said he believed it was likely that the head of the crocodile had been kept as a trophy. |
| “Some people just genuinely hate crocodiles,” he said. “Other people think that if they take out the big croc that their waterways are going to be safe. | “Some people just genuinely hate crocodiles,” he said. “Other people think that if they take out the big croc that their waterways are going to be safe. |
| “But the reality is that it just opens the door for younger, more aggressive and testosterone-fuelled males to enter.” | “But the reality is that it just opens the door for younger, more aggressive and testosterone-fuelled males to enter.” |
| Killing or desecrating crocodiles is illegal, but Hayes said the reinforcement of those laws in more remote areas was lacking. He criticised the government for failing to investigate the incident with the same zeal as an investigation into a crocodile attack in February at the nearby Bloomfield River, where a crocodile attacked a man and ate his pet dog after they waded into the water. Authorities tracked down and killed the 4.2-metre crocodile the next day. | Killing or desecrating crocodiles is illegal, but Hayes said the reinforcement of those laws in more remote areas was lacking. He criticised the government for failing to investigate the incident with the same zeal as an investigation into a crocodile attack in February at the nearby Bloomfield River, where a crocodile attacked a man and ate his pet dog after they waded into the water. Authorities tracked down and killed the 4.2-metre crocodile the next day. |
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| Amanda French from Community Representation of Crocodiles (Croc) agreed and said there should be stricter fines for killing crocodiles and better strategies for managing humans in crocodile habitats. | Amanda French from Community Representation of Crocodiles (Croc) agreed and said there should be stricter fines for killing crocodiles and better strategies for managing humans in crocodile habitats. |
| French suggested the reptile had been decapitated “in response to the recent spate of crocodile incidents in far north Queensland”. | French suggested the reptile had been decapitated “in response to the recent spate of crocodile incidents in far north Queensland”. |
| “The poor crocs come off second best because of their nature and their reputation,” she said. “Say if they found a koala or a sea turtle, I bet the reaction would have been different.” | “The poor crocs come off second best because of their nature and their reputation,” she said. “Say if they found a koala or a sea turtle, I bet the reaction would have been different.” |
| However, Webb said crocodile populations in far north Queensland were healthy and he did not see this isolated case as concerning from a conservation perspective. | However, Webb said crocodile populations in far north Queensland were healthy and he did not see this isolated case as concerning from a conservation perspective. |
| “There has been great management of crocs in north Queensland, but naturally these images tend to stir up a lot of public feelings,” he said. | “There has been great management of crocs in north Queensland, but naturally these images tend to stir up a lot of public feelings,” he said. |
| The maximum penalty for killing a crocodile without authorisation is $27,425. | The maximum penalty for killing a crocodile without authorisation is $27,425. |
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