Urgent warning issued after a female tourist luckily escaped being bitten by a six-foot saltwater crocodile while swimming
- Woman bitten by crocodile while swimming in WA
- Flooding in March allowed crocodiles to swim further south
A tourist luckily escaped after being attacked by a crocodile in a remote part of northern Western Australia.
The woman was swimming in a freshwater creek near Gumboot Bay, northeast of Kalumburu in the Kimberley region, when she was bitten by a seven-foot saltwater crocodile.
The woman escaped the encounter with minor injuries, according to WA’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA).
She was treated on the spot and then transferred to a hospital in the region for further treatment.
The woman was swimming in a freshwater creek near Gumboot Bay, northeast of Kalumburu in the Kimberley region, when she was bitten by a six-foot saltwater crocodile (stock image)
The area where the woman was swimming had no crocodile warning signs, but those were installed by DBCA personnel after the attack (stock image)
The area where she was swimming had no crocodile warning signs, but they had been posted by DBCA personnel after the attack.
Flooding in northern Australia in March allowed crocodiles to move into areas not seen before.
Information from the DBCA says anyone visiting the Top End should assume that all waterways may contain ‘dangerous crocodiles’.
“If in doubt, don’t swim, canoe, or use small boats.”
Crocodiles as short as 5 feet (1.5 meters) have been known to attack humans, but larger specimens account for most fatalities.
Six-foot-long saltwater crocodiles are nowhere near fully grown, with males averaging more than twice that size.
Females are usually much smaller, but still up to three meters long.
There are estimated to be at least 200,000 adult crocodiles in Australia, spread across northern Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern WA.
There are estimated to be at least 200,000 adult crocodiles in Australia, spread across northern Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern WA (stock image)