Wild footage of a group of people luring a four-metre crocodile towards them has been destroyed by the local community as it endangers others.
The now-deleted video was taken on the banks of Queensland’s Proserpine River and appears to show the crocodile being lured to shore with a chicken carcass on a rope.
As the crocodile – one nicknamed ‘Boofhead’ and believed to be around 80 years old – approached the river bank, one of the group can be heard boasting that it is the ‘best dog’ he has had after it rope got stuck in the animal’s stomach. .
Another is heard telling the group to “swallow it, motherfucker… swallow that s***” as the animal snaps its jaws and growls at the group.
Crocodile expert Tommy Hayes didn’t mince his words when speaking about the video, describing the men as “deadbeats” and “unAustralian”.
The footage shows Boofhead emerging from the riverbank before swinging at a piece of chicken tied to a piece of rope, taking it underwater and devouring it.
The group of at least two men and a woman were thrilled when they had the animal on a makeshift leash after it swallowed the rope.
Hayes’ main concern was that the crocodile will be considered “dangerous” and killed by authorities if it loses its fear of humans.
“They clearly hate Australia because this is a native Australian animal and they’re mocking it,” he told Yahoo.
“They are making sure he is exhibiting this ‘dangerous’ behavior and he will be removed… in Queensland a fed crocodile is a dead crocodile.”
Boofhead has become somewhat of a celebrity in the area, both for its size and its habit of catching fishermen’s catches as they reel them in.
A 2021 video shows the crocodile calmly swimming towards a fishing line and devouring a small shark it has caught.
While his behavior could provide entertainment for locals, it could also lead to him being labeled ‘dangerous’ and killed to keep the waterways safe.
A crocodile expert has branded a group ‘deadbeats’ and ‘unAustralian’ for recording themselves feeding a four-metre crocodile chicken on a rope during the Whitsundays (pictured)
The Queensland Department of Environment and Science warned against feeding crocodiles as it could cause them to associate humans with food and increase attacks
The Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) has been made aware of the images and has urged anyone with information to contact the department.
“DES conservationists work hard to equip people with the tools and training they need to be Crocwise, and it is frustrating to see people taking unnecessary, life-threatening risks in known crocodile habitat,” a spokesperson for the DES to Daily Mail Australia.
The spokesperson stressed the danger of feeding crocodiles as it can cause the animals to associate humans with food.
If the animals make this connection, they may start approaching people for food or wait at boat ramps and dikes to potentially attack a person.
“The deliberate feeding of crocodiles may place future visitors to the riverbank at that location at increased risk of a crocodile attack,” the spokesperson said.
In February 2022, seven people were caught feeding a crocodile in the Proserpine River.
Conservationists spotted the group feeding a large crocodile with a chicken tied to the end of a rope, while more pieces of raw chicken were found in their car.
All seven people were fined $400.