Danger lurking in fields as salties move up Barron River
RANGERS are being urged to remove saltwater crocodiles from a Mareeba waterway before the dangerous reptiles invade the Barron River’s upper reaches.
A cane farm worker was bitten by a 1.4m saltie that had been scorched in a fire on a Biboohra property on the weekend, about 5km from Mareeba.
The injured croc had been discovered by a cane harvest crew near an irrigation channel at the Peters Rd farm on Sunday.
Cane worker Daryl Bell was bitten on the hand by the croc, after he tried to catch the animal to take to a local vet.
Mr Bell was taken to Mareeba Hospital for treatment.
Harvest Mareeba owner Bruce Craven said he needed to prise the croc’s jaws open to remove Mr Bell’s hand. He said it took more than two hours to contact the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection for advice.
“They told us to take it to a vet who then euthanased it,” he said.
Saltwater crocodiles are unusual on the Atherton Table- lands, which sits about 400m above sea level and is 40km from the coast.
However, crocs have been spotted in Two Mile Creek, near Peters Rd, including at the Mareeba Wastewater Treatment Plant earlier this year.
“Having crocodiles in a cane paddock places my men in a dangerous situation and this croc should not have been in the cane,” Mr Craven said.