Michael Warren

Journalist

In an extremely worrying development Newsport understands an investigation is already underway in relation to the deaths of six large crocodiles – each found shot dead – and with some of their heads missing over the past two months near Normanton in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The discovery of the beheaded crocs along the Norman River and recently reported in by Rangers from the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (CLAC) strikes an eerie similarity to an unsolved and currently under investigation case in Cow Bay, in the Douglas Shire, in which a crocodile was found deceased and beheaded back in April this year.

Soon after, Daintree river Queen, ‘Lizzie’, a 40 year-old female crocodile, was found dead in suspicious circumstances near a Daintree jetty.

In a further concern, a long time Normanton local and keen fisherman said he had personally located and counted 14 crocodiles as being shot dead in the area over the past few months.

Back in the Douglas Shire a man later called a local croc tour operator claiming responsibility for the death of the crocodile in Cow Bay.

In recent times Community Representation of Crocodiles (C.R.O.C.) put up a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the prosecution of the individual(s) responsible for the alleged gruesome killing of both a crocodile found beheaded in Cow Bay and the second passing of well known croc 'Lizzie' on the Daintree river.

Local crocodile advocate Tommy Hayes has since reaffirmed to Newsport that he remains determined as ever to locate and identify the offender(s) behind the two above alleged mentioned crimes.

The maximum penalty for deliberately harming or killing crocodiles in the State of Queensland is a fine of $32, 243.