A social media influencer who sparked outrage after feeding a crocodile a fried chook has found herself in more hot water.
Jaylie Bonow, 28, faced the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday on unrelated fraud and hacking charges.
Bonow, from WA, is alleged to have used a restricted Queensland Health computer without permission on August 24, 2017.
She is also accused of illegally obtaining and using the driver’s licenses of three Queensland motorists to carry out the alleged fraud.
The charges come after Bonow was criticized for bragging about feeding a fried chicken to a saltwater crocodile on the banks of the Russel River, in North Queensland.
She revealed the details of the brutal act in a video she uploaded to social media earlier this month, which has since been deleted.
“I’m in Far North Queensland at the moment and I thought it would be a good idea to grab a whole chook and feed it to one of the crocodiles,” she said.
‘There are some big salties here and he absolutely loves them. Rest assured, I stayed away from the [river] bank’.
Jaylie Bonow (pictured), who sparked outrage after feeding a fried chook to a saltwater crocodile, faced the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday on unrelated fraud and hacking charges
Bonow, who has nearly 84,000 followers on Instagram and uses the name Jaylie Tori online, then turned her phone to show the enormous four-metre-long beast emerging from the water.
The daring act has sparked an investigation by the Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) and Bonow faces a massive $26,000 fine.
Bonow uploaded a video to social media after her court appearance on Thursday, saying she had a “very stressful morning” before discussing the “croc incident,” which has nothing to do with the charges she faces.
“I just want to reiterate that what I did was stupid – I’ve said it over and over again – and I didn’t know it was illegal,” she said.
‘So if you don’t know, as many people didn’t, that feeding crocodiles is illegal in Queensland – in fact, it’s illegal throughout Australia – then here’s your warning: don’t do what I did.
“It’s not only illegal, it’s fucking stupid.”
Police have alleged Bonow committed the crimes at the Queensland Health Chermside Child and Youth Mental Clinic, north of Brisbane.
Court documents show she was working as a civil servant when the alleged crimes were committed Courier mail reported.
Her case will next be heard at the Brisbane Magistrates Court on November 4.
Ms. Bonow’s crocodile stunt caught the attention of authorities.
“Deliberate feeding of crocodiles can pose a significant risk to other visitors and increase the chance of an attack,” a DESI spokesperson said.
Bonow (pictured), from WA, is alleged to have used a Queensland Health computer without consent on August 24, 2017
The 28-year-old filmed the brutal act on her phone (pictured), which showed the crocodile emerging from the water at the Russel River, in North Queensland.
“That’s why penalties have recently been increased for unlawful behavior that endangers lives…” [and] behavior that portrays, promotes or encourages people to feed them is completely irresponsible.”
It is clear that DESI’s investigation is ongoing.
In September, the maximum penalty imposed by the court for deliberately feeding or disturbing crocodiles was increased $6,452 to $26,615 in Queensland.
Local Member for Barron River Craig Crawford said Ms Bonow should use her audience to spread common sense.
‘Feeding crocodiles is not only stupid, it is also illegal and the fines run into the thousands. Even if you pretend or claim to do so, you are sending a stupid message to others,” he said.
‘As far northerners, everyone agrees that feeding crocodiles, regardless of people’s opinions of crocs, changes their behavior and causes them to loiter closer, stalking the area and waiting for people.
Ms Bonow previously described her decision to feed the crocodile as a ‘stupid mistake’
The Queensland government was forced to issue a warning earlier this year after video emerged of a large crocodile eating a small, deceased shark in Rockhampton in February.
Conservation officer Alexander Peters said he would be ‘extremely disappointed if people deliberately fed crocodiles to generate likes on social media’.
“Deliberate feeding of crocodiles is extremely foolish and dangerous behavior as it can lead to the animals learning to associate humans with food,” he said.
‘Previous incidents have shown that when a crocodile has been fed, it will begin to approach other people for food, or it will linger in an area where it has previously been fed, waiting for an easy meal.
‘This can endanger unsuspecting people and make the animal vulnerable to removal from the wild.’
Ms Bonow previously described her decision to feed the crocodile as a ‘silly mistake’.
“I was so uneducated yesterday and had no idea that feeding crocodiles was illegal. “Now I know that feeding the crocodiles is harmful to them and to public safety because it changes the behavior of the crocodiles,” she said.
“If I had known that yesterday, I wouldn’t have made this stupid mistake.”