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​Wildlife Rangers Capture Huge 350kg Crocodile The Size Of A Car

​Wildlife Rangers Capture Huge 350kg Crocodile The Size Of A Car

Rangers trapped the 4.4m (14.5ft) saltwater crocodile in the Flora River in Australia's Northern Territory

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Wildlife rangers in Australia have managed to capture a 350kg (77lb) crocodile in a popular Northern Territory tourist spot - and it was so huge it was the size of a car.

Rangers trapped the 4.4m (14.5ft) saltwater crocodile in the Flora River at a remote nature park 75 miles from the town of Katherine, saying it's the biggest one they've caught in years. (To put that into context, a Vauxhaull Astra measures 4.3m in length, according to buyacar.co.uk.)

Katherine senior wildlife ranger John Burke said they'd captured a larger 4.71m (15.5ft) crocodile three years ago in the same wildlife management zone, but that had been caught in the Katherine River, which is closer to the sea.

He added that he did not know of a larger crocodile to have been trapped in the Flora River, where this latest beast was.

Speaking to ABC, Burke said: "Every couple of years we'll get a big one up around 4.5 to 4.7 metres, but most of the time the average length for the crocs we catch in the Katherine River is 3.6 metres.

"You've certainly got to respect him for what he is, and he's in good condition, too."

Burke added: "I certainly wouldn't want to run across him when I'm out fishing."

The animal has been taken to a crocodile farm and will be used as breeding stock, with the ranger saying: "Hopefully, it will be a little croc resort there and he'll have a new girlfriend."

Crocodile warning sign, Nitmiluk National Park, Northern Territory, Australia.
PA

Burke stressed the importance of being 'crocwise' around waterways.

"With the weather warming up, the crocodiles are becoming active," he said.

"They're moving into breeding season as well, and the rivers are low and they're out looking for mates, particularly the big males."

Crocodile numbers have been on the up across Australia's tropical north since federal law made them a protected species in the early 1970s - with wildlife rangers having to remove 23 crocodiles from the Katherine River management zone three years ago.

However, Burke said the number of croc removals had fallen to just five annually in the past few years.

He explained people just need to be 'crocwise' around waterways, saying: "With the weather warming up, the crocodiles are becoming active.

"They're moving into breeding season as well, and the rivers are low and they're out looking for mates, particularly the big males."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News, crocodile, Animals, Australia