Town mourns the passing of a beloved crocodile

As a child, Thea Ormonde remembers spending days with her family on the waters of the Meunga Creek in Cardwell, a small coastal town in Far North Queensland, Australia.

Cruising along in her father’s boat, Ormonde always admired the wildlife around her: a wide variety of fish and birds, mud crabs, and, on most occasions, an enormous saltwater crocodile.

But the family, longtime residents of Cardwell, were never alarmed when they came across the roughly 15-foot-long reptile, which was often sunning itself on the creek’s banks or swimming in its murky water. That was just Bismarck, the town crocodile.

“Dad would always give him a big wave and sing out hello to him,” Ormonde said. “We never felt threatened by him.”

But the quaint seaside town with a population of around 1,300 people is in mourning.

Bismarck, estimated to be between 80 and 100 years old, was recently found shot to death.

The crocodile’s rare mellow demeanor quickly turned him into such a beloved town fixture that a memorial service for the crocodile has been scheduled Saturday.

“He was seen as one of our community members,” said Ormonde. “He was just like the old guy in the community. You know he’s there. He doesn’t cause any trouble or anything. Every once in a while, you’d just see him.”

But Ormonde said Bismarck had an even more important role in the town — protecting residents and visitors from harm.

“Because he was such a gentle soul, he actually kept us safe,” she said. “He kept the angry crocodiles away.”