12-Year-Old Australian Boy Eaten by Crocodile

12-Year-Old Australian Boy Eaten by Crocodile(photo courtesy Leigh Bedford)

12-Year-Old Boy Gets Eaten by Crocodile

Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory of Australia – a 12-year-old boy tragically lost his life as he and his friends were swimming in what’s called the Mudginberri Billabong. A billabong is a pond formed when a river changes course leaving the body of water all by itself. It is believed that at about 2:15PM local time, a crocodile measuring 8 feet or longer attacked and made off with the boy.

The authorization has been given to police to hunt and kill any crocodile in the area measuring at least 8 feet in an attempt to recover the boy’s body. Thus far, two crocodiles have been terminated, but neither one turned out to be the killer. The crocodile had latched onto one other boy, but he was able to free himself suffering deep cuts and puncture wounds in the process. They believe a salt water crocodile had crept into the pond to hunt.

The “saltie” dragged the one victim under water. Unfortunately, the boys encountered the most dangerous type of crocodile known to man. Salties can reach 23 feet in length and weigh in excess of 2,200 lbs. Their length and sheer power give them a nearly unmatchable advantage in the water.

The most comprehensive review of croc attacks is a 2005 study in the journal Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, titled: Crocodile Attack in Australia: An Analysis of Its Incidence and Review of the Pathology and Management of Crocodilian Attacks in General. The study revises other journal articles, news items and medical reports to put together a complete picture of attacks in Australia.

The wild crocodile population has increased from an estimated 3,000-5,000 in 1971, to 75,000 in 2000. The increase in population is due to crocs gaining protection from hunters in 1971.

As both the human and crocodile populations have increased, so too have attacks, according to the study:

On The Web:

boy crocodile australia: Killer croc snatches 12-year-old boy swimming with pals in Australia
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/27/22468469-killer-croc-snatches-12-year-old-boy-swimming-with-pals-in-australia