like a cyclone, record breaking floodspower outages and water shortages weren’t enough, communities in north Queensland also have to deal with the threat of crocodiles popping up in unusual places.
On Monday, Chloe Chomicki, an ABC reporter, captured video of a crocodile in a drain in Inghamand they were also spotted in the indigenous community of Wujal Wujal, where nine people spent the night huddled on the roof of the local hospital.
Peak Aussie content here 🐊 A large crocodile has been spotted in a swollen drain in the center of Ingham, a North Queensland town currently cut off by floodwaters. Filmed by @abcnews reporter @ChloeChomickiwho is isolated like everyone else in the town. pic.twitter.com/LSg5ODkpIF
— Siobhan Heanue (@siobhanheanue) December 17, 2023
Wujal Wujal resident Dallas Walker said the entire community was overwhelmed by water overflowing from the Bloomfield River.
“[Town is] submerged in like dirty water, debris just everywhere. There is a lot of mud. And these are also croc-infested waters,” she said.
Kiley Hanslow, chief executive of Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council, said there were crocodiles swimming through the town’s main street.
Several communities in neighboring Douglas Shire Council are also under water.
“When the water gets as high as it gets there, the opportunity is for alligators to move,” Hanslow said.
“So there is a high risk [to] people when they walk through water.”
Associate Professor Sally Isberg, from the Center for Crocodile Research, said the animals try to avoid floodwaters and prefer clear and calm water.
“People get swept out to sea in rip tides and get hurt when they go down rapids. It’s no different for crocodiles that are in murky water, so they just move to calmer waters while the floodwaters are there,” she said.
Crocodiles usually hide on the banks of rivers where the current is weakest, she said.
The Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll urged North Queenslanders to be “incredibly careful to be in the water”.
“You will remember that from previous events we have found sharks, crocodiles and you name it,” she said.
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“The flooding is extraordinary up there.”
Isberg said to stick with the state government’s alligator safety guidelines.
This means, don’t swim, don’t hang a hand or foot out of a boat, keep five meters from the water’s edge and dispose of waste properly.
She said most North Queenslanders were sensible and knew the risks.
“There will always be danger. If you approach a crocodile or if you do stupid things around crocodiles, there’s always going to be a danger there,” she said.
“But if… you’re actively always aware that a crocodile is there, then you’re pretty safe.
“Crocodiles are not mindless killing machines, they will only attack if they feel threatened.”
Isberg said alligators tend to know when floodwaters are receding and will typically swim out of a flooded area to avoid being cut off, although some may walk back if they leave it too late.
