Australian authorities euthanize 16-foot crocodile blamed for a fatal attack, the second in a month

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Authorities killed on Monday a large crocodile thought responsible for Australia’s second fatal attack in a month.

The latest victim was a 40-year-old man from New South Wales state who had been fishing on Saturday while on vacation with his wife and children, traveling through Queensland state with a trailer, according to police. Government conservation officer Daniel Guymer said the man fell into the Annan River south of Cooktown. His body has not been recovered.

Cooktown resident Bart Harrison said the steep bank had collapsed underneath the victim’s feet, sending him more than 6 meters (20 feet) into the river which is renowned as a crocodile habitat.

“It’s straight up and down. It’s a hairy spot to be fishing,” Harrison said. “We grew up watching the crocs swim around there and I wouldn’t go near that edge. There’re always one or two big crocodiles living there.”

Guymer said the suspected crocodile, which had a scar on its snout, was found in a creek 4 kilometers (about 2.5 miles) away from the scene of the accident. Witnesses saw crocodiles in the area, known by locals as Crocodile Bend.

“Wildlife officers have humanely euthanized a large crocodile approximately 4.9 meters (16-foot) in length that is believed to be responsible for the fatal attack,” Guymer told reporters. “The animal had markings on its snout that were consistent with it being the target animal,” he said.

The tragedy came after a 12-year-old girl was snatched on July 2 while swimming with family in a creek in the neighboring Northern Territory. Her remains were found days later and wildlife rangers shot dead her 4.2-meter (14-foot) killer.

This is the third fatal crocodile attack in Australia this year, close to the worst annual death toll on record of four in 2014. A 16-year-old boy was killed while swimming off a Queensland island on April 18.

Charles Darwin University crocodile expert Brandon Sideleau said there were probably at least two large crocodiles at the river bend where the latest incident took place because people illegally fed crocodiles road kill such as dead kangaroos. The crocodiles had learned to associate human presence with food, he said.

The crocodile population has exploded across Australia’s tropical north since the reptiles that can live up to 70 years became a protected species under Australian law in the 1970s,

Sideleau said there was little evidence to explain why Australia’s annual death tolls from crocodile attacks fluctuated. For long stretches in recent decades, there have been no deaths.

“All attacks in Australia can be avoided with the proper precautions," he said.

Government authorities are investigating a social media video that appears to show a crocodile being fed in the same river.

Guymer warned that feeding dangerous wildlife in Queensland was an offense punishable by a fine of almost 6,500 Australian dollars ($4,200).

“It is, of course, a very, very concerning behavior. It’s very risky and it’s very reckless,” he said.