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Many rivers in northern Australia are full of crocodiles. (Archive picture).
Image: dpa
For a week, rangers in Australia have been searching for a crocodile that killed a child. Now they have found it - and shot it dead.
After the fatal crocodile attack on a child in Australia, rangers have killed the animal responsible. The 4.2-metre-long reptile had already been tracked down and shot at the weekend, but was only now found floating on the surface of the water, according to the Northern Territory police. The authorities confirmed that it was the crocodile that had attacked the twelve-year-old girl in a watercourse a week ago.
The child had been swimming near the Aboriginal community of Nganmarriyanga and suddenly disappeared into Mango Creek. The area is about 360 kilometers southwest of Darwin. There were immediate fears that it could have been the victim of a crocodile. After a large-scale search operation, emergency services discovered the girl's remains on Thursday, two days after the accident.
The Australian ABC quoted the head of the Northern Territory government, Eva Lawler, as saying that she hoped the discovery of the crocodile would bring some relief to the family. "I'm delighted that the large crocodile has been found and hopefully this can help the family a little bit after this absolutely heartbreaking incident."
According to government figures, the Northern Territory is home to over 100,000 saltwater crocodiles - more than any other state in Australia. The animals, which are up to six meters long and are also known as "salties", are considered to be extremely aggressive. There are also freshwater crocodiles ("freshies") in the area, but they are less dangerous. On average, there are two fatal crocodile attacks per year throughout the country.
10.07.2024, 05:41
