A young man was airlifted to hospital after a huge crocodile mauled him to death at a tourist spot in a terrifying attack.
The man, aged in his 20s, was killed by a “large crocodile” off the west coast of Australia on Saturday (April 18). The stretch of coast is popular with tourists – both to Australia and around the world – for its long, untouched, white sandy beaches and beautiful scenery.
The horrific murder took place on a beach in the Kimberley, near Hidden Creek in Western Australia (WA) on the Dampier Peninsula, about 1300 miles north of the state capital Perth. The place is famous in Australia and around the world for its long, untouched beaches.
The campground where the attack occurred is popular with tourists and is located about 31 miles north of Broome. The WA coast is filled with tidal creeks, mangroves and rivers, making it a prime habitat for invasive saltwater crocodiles.
WA Country Health Service said the man was initially taken to Broome Hospital in a stable condition, before he was flown from Broome to Royal Perth Hospital via the Royal Flying Doctor Service on Sunday. The RFDS provides immediate or emergency medical assistance to people living in remote areas of the Australian Outback.
A spokesperson for the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions told news.com.au they were notified of the incident on Monday. The spokesperson said they are investigating the incident and are already in contact with the man’s family.
This horrific incident of crocodile attack has come to light in Kimberley in less than five months. In January, a man survived an attack but suffered serious wounds to his body after an encounter with a three-metre saltwater crocodile near the remote La Jardard Bay community.
Saltwater crocodiles are common on the Kimberley coast and are known to inhabit beaches, bays and tidal waterways. They are far more aggressive than their freshwater cousins, and can grow up to six meters in length. The “salties”, as they are called locally, live along the coast and near river mouths, while the freshers prefer inland rivers and billabongs, or inland lakes and dams.
Salty is the world’s largest living reptile and is responsible for the majority of crocodile attacks in Australia.
More than 600,000 British tourists visit Australia annually, with arrivals expected to reach 605,000 in 2024, an increase of almost 8% from 2023. According to figures from Camper Champ, around 80,000 Britons come via the working holiday visa, with visa changes for young Britons resulting in a boom in backpacker travel.
Crocodiles are among the world’s oldest living reptiles, with ancestral forms appearing 200 million years ago and modern crocodiles emerging about 83.5 million years ago. They are considered living fossils, survivors of the extinction event that killed off the dinosaurs.
