A group of men seen swimming inside a baited crocodile trap in Australia near where a woman was eaten were yesterday blasted as the “idiots of the century.”
Photographs posted on Facebook showed the four men clambering on the floating trap set near a marina at Port Douglas in Queensland and even posing inside it.
It is not far from where a 4.3m crocodile killed Anne Cameron, who had dementia.
The crocodile that took the 79-year-old less than two weeks ago was trapped and human remains were found inside, but plenty of other crocodiles inhabit the rivers and seas in the area.
Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu said she was stunned at their stupidity.
“I was absolutely gobsmacked; this is incredibly stupid and dangerous behavior,” she said told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “I’m wondering if these fellows are vying for the idiots of the year award or the idiots of the century award.”
Queensland Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection Steven Miles also weighed in, saying on Twitter: “Srsly? The meat we put in these traps is bait. For crocodiles. Don’t swim in them! It’s stupid, and illegal.”
Saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to 7m long and weigh more than 1 tonne, are a common feature of Australia’s tropical north and kill an average of two people a year.
Their numbers have exploded since they were declared a protected species in the 1970s, with Cameron’s death reigniting calls to control them.
The Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection said that the men’s actions were “reckless.”
“These traps are specifically designed to attract crocodiles and they are deployed in places where a problem crocodile is known to be present,” it said in a statement. “It is not an exaggeration to say that interfering with crocodile traps can be potentially life-threatening for the person concerned.”
There are fines of up to A$15,000 (US$11,673) for interfering with a crocodile trap.
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