NT: Croc cull as search continues for missing man

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2009
NT: Croc cull as search continues for missing man

By Crystal Ja

GOLD COAST, April 10 AAP - Park rangers searching for a man missing in a crocodile-infested
Northern Territory river have orders to kill any large croc they see.

Thought to be the state's second fatal croc attack in a month, a 20-year-old man disappeared
while swimming across the Daly River, 150km south of Darwin, about 2am (AEST) on Friday.

The man's partner was watching from the bank and later told police she saw a crocodile nearby.

Workers from the Territory Response Section, Marine and Fisheries Enforcement Unit
and Parks and Wildlife are likely to search for the man through Friday night.

They have been told to kill any large croc they find.

The searchers will spotlight a one-kilometre section of the river, which has been cordoned
off to the public, in search of a body as well as the crocodile.

Duty Superintendent John Emeny said the man's 18-year-old brother-in-law, who was also
in the water when the attack occurred, was still with police and had made a statement.

Supt Emeny said the man's death was not conclusive until a body was found, but admitted
all signs pointed towards a fatal crocodile attack.

"We have information that suggests there was a crocodile in the vicinity of where the
two men were last seen, so put two and two together," he told AAP.

"(But) it's in the early hours of the morning, it's dark, we don't have good evidence
that it was a croc ... it may turn out to be a drowning."

He said both men had been drinking before they went swimming.

"It's not entirely clear ... we believe that alcohol was a factor in the decision making
process to swim across.

"Obviously, not a real smart one."

The missing man was from the Daly River region.

The incident is likely to spark another debate about methods to control the NT's crocodile
population, recently estimated to be the highest in Australia at more than 80,000.

Last month, 11-year-old Briony Anne Goodall was killed by a crocodile at Black Jungle
Swamp, southeast of Darwin, prompting calls for a government-orchestrated cull.

That killer croc was never found.

AAP cj/ss/cdh

KEYWORD: CROC WRAP

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