A tourist suspected of being attacked by a huge crocodile in front of his family was fishing from a riverbank known as ‘Crocodile Bend’.
The family from New South Wales were on a caravan tour through Far North Queensland and fishing near the Annan River bridge, south of Cooktown, about 2pm on Saturday afternoon when the 40-year-old man disappeared.
The man was reportedly dragged underwater by the reptile. Local police said his wife and children were “traumatized” after witnessing the horrific attack.
Witnesses told police that a large crocodile, known to locals and common in the area, had been spotted in the nearby water.
A team consisting of police, rangers and SES resumed their work search for the man at 7am on Monday, covering approximately 5km Waterways are being combed using drones and vessels.
Cooktown police Sergeant Greg Finucane said on Sunday afternoon it was “effectively a search and rescue mission”.
“We’re patrolling the riverbank. There’s quite a large area, about 5km of waterway, it’s tidal,” Senior Sergeant Finucane told reporters on Sunday.
A man was attacked by a crocodile in front of his wife and children near Cooktown on Saturday afternoon. The photo shows the ongoing search
“It is affected by the current, the weather and the natural movement and habitat of crocodiles,” he added.
“We will continue search and rescue procedures, using drones, vessels and specialist units from the Far North that have come from Cairns to assist in the search.”
Sergeant Finucane said DES, SES, police and local rangers worked together to find the man.
He added that the search and rescue team would also look at the crocodiles in the area and determine which ones need to be captured.
“According to witnesses it was a large crocodile,” said Sgt Finucane.
“Our condolences go out to the family, who are clearly very traumatized at this time.”
Police have not confirmed where in NSW the family is from or how old the victim’s children are.
The fishing spot, where the man was probably dragged away by the crocodile, is a known habitat for the reptiles.
The man had fallen into the water and never surfaced. Neither he nor the crocodile have been seen since.
A Cooktown resident claimed the crocodile associated humans with food because locals fed it roadkill further upstream.
“People throw a dead animal in the water for it to eat and it could have been sitting there 15 feet under water waiting for a meal,” a Cooktown resident told the Cairns Message.
‘We’ve had a little rain, so the bank is soft. Even if he wasn’t at the edge, the bank could still go under him.
“It’s just terrible and everyone is with the family. It’s unthinkable to see something like this happen before your eyes.”
Police declined to comment on suspicions that people in the area were feeding crocodiles.
Authorities want to capture the crocodile, which has not been seen since the man disappeared.
Wildlife staff from Cairns travelled to Cooktown [Saturday night] and conducted a preliminary inspection of a section of the Annan River,” a Queensland Department of Environment spokesman said.
Intensive surveys of the river are being carried out today, including land and drone surveys. Additional wildlife officers are on standby to travel to Cooktown if required.
‘While the circumstances of this case have not yet been confirmed, we remind everyone that Cooktown is known as ‘Croc Country’ and urge everyone to be safe by exhibiting ‘CrocWise’ behaviour.’
Crocodile Bend is known as a hotspot for crocodiles.
Local resident Bart Harrison urged tourists to find a safer place to fish, warning that the steep banks would make it difficult to escape an attack.
“At low tide you can easily see a large crocodile lying on the bank opposite you,” Mr Harrison said.
“There are a lot of people taking pictures and things like that of themselves while they’re sitting there.”
The search for the man is expected to continue Sunday evening and Monday, but conditions are difficult.
Locals warned tourists not to fish near the bridge (pictured), as the deep riverbanks in the area would make it difficult to escape an attack.