Croc shot in search for missing Northern Territories man

[depakid]

Family members saw a crocodile make its way towards the man while he attempted to swim across the river.
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Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife rangers have shot a saltwater crocodile in an area of the Daly River where it is suspected a man was taken by a crocodile yesterday. An exclusion zone has been put in place about a kilometre either side of where the man disappeared near the Daly River community, 150 kilometres south of Darwin.

Rangers are seeking out and will destroy any crocodiles over three meters in hopes of finding some of the man's remains. Daly River policeman Dean Lynch says Parks and Wildlife shot one crocodile overnight, but he could not yet confirm whether there is any sign that it is the croc responsible for the attack.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/11/2540872.htm
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Here's the trouble:

Garry Higgins helped coordinate the search for the missing man and says if the crossing was raised, people would not be trying to swim across the river. "This incident I think was preventable," he said.

"The only reason it occurred was because we have got 4,000 people on this side of the river and there's no means of access other than to cross by boat or swim and in this instance the person swam. "The NT Government committed to lift the crossing or build a bridge prior to their first term in office.

"We have yet to see anything start with that. If that had been built this wouldn't have occurred. These people would be able to actually drive across the crossing."

More than 4,000 people living in communities like Wadeye, Palumpa and Peppimenarti are unable to drive over the flooded crossing between Christmas and Easter every year. A spokeswoman for the local member and now Labor Government Minister Rob Knight says he is not available to comment because there is a police investigation underway.

Meanwhile, the Northern Territory Opposition says the Territory's new crocodile management plan should include an increase in culling. The Territory Government will release a draft for a new management plan on Wednesday. Opposition Leader Terry Mills says the plan should also address safari hunting and egg collection as ways to control the reptile's numbers. "We started our crocodile management systems when crocodiles were effectively extinct or close to extinction," he said.

"We put practices in place that have put the population up. The population of the Top End has increased at the same time. "So we now need to move to a new stage of how people and crocodiles can live safely in the same environment."

More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/11/2540804.htm?section=justin
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btw: North American 'gators get pretty big and sometimes eat people too:

Suspected Car Thief Eaten by Gator: Died After Fleeing From Police Into Pond on Fla. Indian Reservation.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3858476

Welcome to Triassic park!