Kevin Darmody went missing by the Kennedy River at Lakefield National Park in northern Queensland. Photo / Supplied
Kevin Darmody went missing by the Kennedy River at Lakefield National Park in northern Queensland. Photo / Supplied
Australian officials have discovered “items of relevance” inside a large crocodile they shot dead as they search for a fisherman who is feared to have been killed by one of the animals.
Wildlife officers shot dead two crocodiles that they spotted upstream of where Kevin Darmody, 65, wentmissing on Saturday in Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park in tropical northern Queensland. They intend to carry out thorough post mortem examinations of the contents of the reptiles’ stomachs.
Mark Henderson, an inspector from Queensland Police, said: “The indications are that there have been some items of relevance located within that crocodile.”
Darmody, who ran a pub in the remote Cape York region of Queensland, was fishing on the banks of the Kennedy River when fishermen nearby heard a yell, then splashes and a commotion. He vanished, leaving on the river bank just a pair of jandals he had been wearing.
Investigators believe he may have been snatched by a crocodile after walking towards the water to retrieve a fishing lure. One of the crocodiles that was shot measured 4.1 metres long while the other was 2.7 metres long.
The rivers, estuaries and coastal waters of Queensland are renowned for their huge saltwater crocodiles.
Michael Joyce, from Queensland’s environment department, warned fishermen that they should keep well back from the water’s edge when fishing in crocodile-infested rivers.
“If you’re in water, and especially if you’re in Lakefield — which is declared specifically for crocodile conservation — you should expect crocodiles in that water,” he said.
One local claimed that Steve Irwin, the television personality known as The Crocodile Hunter, who was killed by a stingray in 2006 while snorkelling off the Queensland coast, used to release problem crocodiles in the area.
Cameron McDougall, a recreational fisherman, said: “There’s one that we know pretty well. Over the years I’ve said, ‘This crocodile is going to eat someone one day’ because he’ll follow you up and sit right at the bank.
Fishing in crocodile country requires staying at least 10ft (3m) back from the water, he said. “If you keep moving, they’ve got to keep changing their positions and try to re-stalk you again.”
The suspected attack on Darmody has prompted calls for saltwater crocodiles, which are found in large parts of northern Australia, to be culled.
