Queensland wildlife officers are hunting a large saltwater crocodile that attacked a man near Weipa in the state’s far north.
The man was attacked by a crocodile over three metres long near the Cape York Peninsula community on Sunday and suffered injuries to his hand, Queensland Parks and Wildlife’s Ren Bone said.
“We’ve currently got wildlife officers on the ground undertaking operations to identify that crocodile so that we can remove it from the wild,” Mr Bone said on Tuesday.
“That may include daytime and night-time assessments, but those operations are going to be continuing for several days, hopefully a bit shorter.”
He said contracted hunters had caught a crocodile believed to be the animal that attacked a swimmer on the outskirts Cairns last week.
The 44-year-old was swimming in Lake Placid at Caravonica when the croc bit down on his head and neck.
He managed to get out of the water after suffering minor puncture wounds to his scalp, the side of his face, shoulder and finger.
Lake Placid, a deep pool of the Barron River, is a popular park and barbecue area that has had recurring problems with resident crocodiles.
Mr Bone said a 2.47m crocodile was caught at the waterhole and taken to an approved facility on Tuesday.
He said while the animal has been dealt with, people should be aware this was the season when crocodiles were more active in the state.
He urged people to report animals they saw to authorities, to keep their distance from the water and for fishermen to throw any scraps in bins and keep a barrier between themselves and the water.
“We do encourage everyone to be crocwise in croc country at all times,” Mr Bone added.