Flood-hit Australians urged to watch out for crocodiles in ‘unexpected places’
Hit by ‘unprecedented flooding, residents of Townsville are being warned that snakes and crocodiles could turn up where they might not usually.
Residents in an Australian city have been warned to watch out for crocodiles “in unexpected places” in the wake of unprecedented flooding.
Townsville, on Australia’s north-east coast, has been hit by record rainfall, with over a metre falling in the space of the week.
The floodgates of the city’s dam were opened to prevent the Ross River from breaking its banks, flooding some suburbs on the weekend.
More than 1,100 people were rescued from their homes on Sunday night and evacuation efforts continued on Monday.
Erin Hahn wrote in a Facebook post: “Croc out the front of my dads place in mundingburra, O’Reilly street, Ross River Road end. Cannot stress it enough to stay out of the water”
The crocodile, thought to be between one and two metres long, swam off shortly after Erin’s dad Shaun took the photo.
Another croc was spotted in Annandale, just over the river from Mundingburra.
Queensland’s environment minister, Leeanne Enoch, has warned people that snakes and crocodiles could turn up in “unexpected places”.
“Crocodiles prefer calmer waters and they may move around in search of a quiet place to wait for floodwaters to recede,” Ms Enoch said.
“Crocodiles may be seen crossing roads, and when flooding recedes, crocodiles can turn up in unusual places such as farm dams or waterholes where they have not been seen before.
“Similarly, snakes are very good swimmers and they too may turn up unexpectedly.”
She said crocodiles and snakes could appear near any of north Queensland’s waterways, and that they should not be approached.
