Swimming in the Mary River

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Swimming in the Mary River

Postby Overlandman » Sun 25 Aug, 2013 1:40 pm

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-25/c ... an/4910784

I find it hard to believe the Crocs are being shot,
Regards Overlandman :roll:

Several crocodiles have been shot dead in the Northern Territory river where rangers and police are searching for the body of a Darwin man attacked yesterday.
Police and rangers are working to recover the body of a 24-year-old man at Mary River, 100 kilometres from Darwin.
Friends were celebrating a 30th birthday party last night when two men from the group attempted to swim across the crocodile-infested Mary River.
Watch Commander Geoff Bahnert says friends saw one of the men being attacked by a large crocodile and taken under and are traumatised after witnessing the attack.
"So they've swum across and on the return leg it appears a large crocodile has taken the person in question and he was witnessed to be in the jaws of the crocodile as it swum up the river," he said.
Mr Bahnert says recovery teams have not found any trace of the man, but he hopes his remains will be recovered soon.
"Large crocodiles usually drown their victims at the first instance to make them easier to control," he said.
"So we have to assume from past incidents that, unfortunately, he may have died really quickly."
The victim's family has travelled to the scene of the attack from Katherine.
Manager of the nearby Bark Hutt Inn, Shaun Kelly, says the area is well marked with crocodile warning signs but still, some people take their chances.
"They may have gone for a swim in the Mary River or in a waterhole in the past and gotten away with it, and this time someone hasn't," he said.
Locals say a 4.5-metre crocodile is often seen in the area where the man went missing.
The Mary River and surrounding billabongs are known as one of the most densely populated crocodile habitats in the world.
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Overlandman
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Re: Swimming in the Mary River

Postby Hallu » Sun 25 Aug, 2013 4:05 pm

Swimming across you might be okay, but swimming back is really stupid, that's when the croc obviously spotted you and is waiting... How can a whole group of guys let this happen ? How come not one of them stopped it ? That's a completely useless and avoidable death, not to mention the crocs shot...
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Re: Swimming in the Mary River

Postby Overlandman » Mon 26 Aug, 2013 5:12 pm

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-26/p ... oc/4911268

Northern Territory Police say they have found the body of a Darwin man killed in a crocodile attack at the weekend.
Sean Cole, 26, and a friend were swimming in the Mary River, 100 kilometres from the Northern Territory capital, while attending a 30th birthday party on Saturday night.
Police say at least 15 traumatised partygoers witnessed Mr Cole being attacked by the large crocodile, recounting the animal swimming upriver with his body in its jaws.
Members of the Territory Response Group found Mr Cole's body early this morning, not far from where he was last seen.
Mr Cole's family had already arrived from Katherine and been taken through the scene by police.
The area is known to have the highest density of saltwater crocodiles in the world, although it is the first known crocodile-related fatality on the Mary River.
Parks and Wildlife Ranger Tom Nichols says four crocodiles have been shot, including the 4.8-metre crocodile believed to be responsible for the attack.
"Any animals that were in that range which we believed to be a possible target in the area where the accident took place, we usually take them out for simple reasons, we do autopsies on those and it's also closure for the families if there's anything there," he said.
Friend Glen Speering, from the University Rats Football Club, says it was out of character for Mr Cole to go swimming in a river known for crocodiles.
"I think myself along with everyone else, when we found out we honestly didn't believe that it would have been Sean, we would have expected it to be almost anyone else in the club but Sean," he said.
"[It] just seemed extremely out of character for him."
Frida Pettersson, who was camping close to where the attack happened, says it serves as a warning about the dangers of swimming in such areas.
"It was my first time there - obviously I'm never going to forget it, and for my children," she said.
"It's just another wake-up call about water safety and to be aware of the water."
Crocodile expert Dr Grahame Webb said swimming in the Mary River came with an almost 100 per cent chance of being taken by a saltwater crocodile.
"They sort of know they shouldn't swim there, but they let their guard down," he said.
"They're having fun ... and do something they wouldn't normally do, and in that particular location it's a pretty tragic situation."
He says nothing more can be done to warn people of the risks of swimming in crocodile-infested waters.
"Parks and Wildlife put a huge effort now into public education, so because we've got a transient population up here it's really important people learn quickly, and I doubt there's much more you can do," he said.
The manager of the nearby Bark Hutt Inn, Shaun Kelly, says the area is well marked with crocodile warning signs but some people still take their chances.
"They may have gone for a swim in the Mary River or in a waterhole in the past and gotten away with it, and this time someone hasn't," he said.
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Re: Swimming in the Mary River

Postby Hallu » Mon 26 Aug, 2013 5:35 pm

Every person at that party should be in front of a judge for irresponsible behavior. You can't prevent a drunk guy from getting into a fight in a bar, but you can certainly prevent him from swimming in a croc-infested river...
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