Viral videos on social media of crocodiles have experts urging Queensland government to issue fines
A wildlife expert has urged governments to take action against a recent social media trend of people deliberately placing themselves in crocodile habitats.
Mick Bender, wildlife educator for Wildlife Unleashed, says he wants the government to introduce fines for people who deliberately enter places where crocodiles are common, to deter people from putting themselves at risk.
The trend originated on social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, with people posting videos of themselves entering crocodile nesting sites and waterways.
His warning comes after 37-year-old Alister MacPhee saw himself walk into the water at a remote boat ramp in Cooktown, north Queensland, before being bitten on the leg by a crocodile that then attacked and killed his dog on February 22.
Mick Bender (pictured), a wildlife expert and educator for Wildlife Unleashed, has warned that a social media trend of people entering crocodile habitats will lead to more deaths seeking views
An influencer from the far north of Queensland, Daniel Colombini, was recently criticized after he was seen jumping off a 10-metre cliff into the crocodile-infested Tully River.
A video shows a man grabbing the tail of a resting crocodile in a small waterway and has been viewed more than 1.3 million times on TikTok.
Another TikTok video that has a similar number of views shows a man on a boat antagonizing a nearby crocodile wearing what appears to be a wetsuit.
A video that Casey Eames of Queensland posted to TikTok shows a crocodile standing just feet away from the back of his metal dinghy, waiting for food to be thrown from the back.
Mr Eames told Daily Mail Australia in 2022 that people who feed crocodiles are incredibly dangerous because when they reach adulthood they are likely to attack boats and kill people.
“As cool as it would be to feed wild saltwater crocodiles, it’s a stupid thing to do because when they grow up they will capsize a boat and kill someone,” he said.
Mr Bender has urged the Queensland government to intervene and deter people with fines if they deliberately ignore safety warnings and enter crocodile habitats (stock image pictured)
Speaking of the February attack at Cooktown, Mr. Bender recounted 4BC on Thursday that the video was “so devastating to watch.”
“You can see what a bad example this guy set by going down and doing the wrong thing at the boat ramp, getting attacked and his dog grabbed,” Mr. Bender said.
“That video that goes viral, people think ‘oh, there’s a lot of views to get out of this’, so people go into crocodile country and take risks.
“Obviously it would be great if everyone boycotted them and just didn’t watch those videos, but that’s not how social media works.
“You see what’s going to happen. We want something to happen before something goes wrong.
“If it keeps going like this, people will die and more crocodiles will die.”
He has urged the Queensland government to impose sanctions on those who continually enter crocodile territory, ignore warning signs and safety rules and are attacked as a result.
“You’d think the fear of being attacked by a crocodile would be enough to keep people safe in crocodile country, but it just isn’t,” he said.
“Creating that kind of secondary fear of punishment, especially the fact that, yes, you might get caught, but you might not… but you might get fined instead.”
Just over a week before Mr MacPhee and his dog were attacked, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science announced it had removed a huge crocodile from waterways near Mackay.
“The removal of a 12-foot estuarine crocodile from a creek near Mackay is a timely reminder to the local community to always be Crocwise around the region’s water bodies,” a statement from the department reads.
Alister MacPhee, 37, filmed walking into the water at a remote boat ramp in Cooktown, North Queensland, in February and being bitten by a crocodile which then killed his dog
The Queensland Government does issue crocodile-related fines, but not for intentionally entering habitat.
Feeding crocodiles carries a maximum fine of $5,222, while disturbing a crocodile trap can cost more than $15,000.
The Ministry of Environment and Science warns that, “Just because you can’t see a crocodile doesn’t mean there isn’t one close by.”
They advise people to stay at least five feet away from the water’s edge in crocodile habitats, exercise caution at dusk, dawn, and night, and keep pets away from the water.