GLOBE AND MAIL (Toronto, Ontario) 12 May 05 Crocodile pays price for police mistake
Perth, Australia (AP): Australian authorities trapped and killed a 1.8-metre saltwater crocodile that was taken from a woman's home and mistakenly released into a popular swimming hole, an official said on Thursday.
Police in the northwestern town of Kununurra removed the crocodile from the woman's home in March, after she found the animal in her laundry room.
The crocodile had been left there by a friend of the woman's son. The friend, a licensed crocodile catcher, had apparently planned to take it to a crocodile sanctuary the following day.
Mistaking the man-eating saltwater crocodile for the less-dangerous freshwater species, police released it into the nearby Lily Creek Lagoon, a popular swimming and bird-watching area with a motor-home park and other accommodations on its shores.
After realizing the officers' blunder, wildlife officers set traps around the lagoon and warned residents to stay away.
After two months of tracking the reptile, wildlife official Brad Rushforth said it was found last week about 45 kilometres upstream from where it had been released.
He said officials shot the crocodile after confirming it was the same animal released by police.
Crocodile pays price for police mistake