Crocs danger in Aussie town

– Receding floodwaters in the northern Australian state of Queensland have revealed a new danger – crocodiles.

The unwelcome visitors have made their way into the town of Ingham towards the country’s north-east tip, according to several photos posted on social media, after four days of torrential rain broke riverbanks, covered pastureland and cut off towns.

Toby Millyard, crocodile researcher at Australia Zoo in Queensland, said the reptiles were known to use floodwaters in the region to travel to different areas and search for food.

“Some crocodiles love it when it rains and they use the water’s currents to travel; they’re very smart animals,” Millyard said. “But they’re very easy to stay away from. As long as you’re not in the water or standing by the edge, you should be fine.”

Yesterday a stranded group of school students and teachers were rescued from a isolated campsite south of the town of Tully.

Queensland state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it would take weeks to determine the full extent of the damage, especially on banana and sugar cane crops.

The Queensland state government has declared the area a “disaster” zone, while the Insurance Council of Australia has declared it a “catastrophe”, which means that insurance claims will be fasttracked. –