Family reject calls for croc cull

THE family of the grandmother killed by a crocodile near Port Douglas do not want to see any crocs culled as a result of the attack.

Rangers have yet to capture the large croc believed to be responsible for taking Anne Cameron, 79, from Craiglie Creek earlier last week.

Mrs Cameron, who suffered dementia, had gone missing during an afternoon walk away from her aged-care home, OzCare Port Douglas. Her clothes, walking stick, and remains were found by the creek.

Department of Environment and Heritage Protection officers set traps, and an EHP spokeswoman yesterday said that they remained empty and the “reconnaissance” area was expanded.

Mrs Cameron’s son, Craig Eggins, in a social media post, said his family did not want crocodiles killed as a result of his mother’s death.

“The crocodiles … are not responsible for being crocodiles, and doing what crocodiles do,” he said.

He said what happened was a tragic sequence of events that led to his mother being in the wrong place at the wrong time, when she had mistaken the return path from the beach.

“She went up the creek thinking it to be the correct path, and then became lost at nightfall due to the heavy terrain and her cataracts,” he said.