THE SCOTSMAN (Edinburgh, UK) 27 September 05 British snorkeller dies in crocodile attack (Fiona MacGregor )
A British snorkeller feared to have been killed by a saltwater crocodile was being watched by his wife on the beach when he disappeared, police said yesterday.
The saltwater crocodile - measuring 13 feet - was spotted close to where the corpse of Russell Harris, 37, was found and police say his injuries were consistent with an attack by such a creature.
Mr Harris had been snorkelling with a friend near Picnic Beach on the island of Groote Eylandt, off Australia's northern coast, on Saturday when he went missing. A major search was launched and the body of the mine superintendent from Eastwood, near Nottingham, was found on Sunday morning near where the reptile had been sighted.
Mr Harris's body was being flown to the northern city of Darwin yesterday for a post-mortem examination, while Australian authorities hunted the reptile. They aim to capture it alive, as saltwater crocodiles are a protected species in Australia.
"We are trying to locate the crocodile and relocate it to a different area," a force spokeswoman said.
And police expressed fears that the reptile could strike again. Sergeant Stephen Pfitzner of Northern Territory police said: "Police advise the community that the crocodile may still be in the area and to take extra precautions if venturing into the waters around Groote Eylandt."
Mr Harris and a friend were snorkelling around 20 metres off-shore, watched from a nearby beach by their partners - including the victim's American wife - when he disappeared.
He was last seen by his 33-year-old snorkelling companion at about 2pm local time on Saturday. The friend became extremely concerned when Mr Harris had not returned by 4pm.
The police were alerted and a plane conducted an aerial search of the area, with several civilian vehicles and boats also joining the hunt. More than 60 miles of sea was explored but there was no sign of the missing snorkeller.
At about 7:30am on Sunday, Mr Harris's body was found at the mouth of Eight Mile Creek, about a mile north of where he was last seen.
The dead man, who is believed to have no children, had been working on the island for five months as a manganese mine superintendent for Gemco, part of mining group BHP Billiton. As Mr Harris's parents and sister were flown out to Darwin, a spokeswoman for BHP Billiton said counsellors had been brought in to help console family and colleagues.
Saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to 23ft in length, are common in rivers and in the sea around northern Australia. Their numbers have increased in recent years, thanks to a hunting ban imposed in the 1970s.
If it is confirmed as a crocodile killing, it would be the second such fatality in a month in northern Australia. In August, a 60-year-old man was dragged out of a canoe and killed by a crocodile in northeastern Queensland.
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1998902005
NORTHERN TERRITORY NEWS (Darwin, Australia) 26 September 05 4m croc kills man near beach (Greg McLean)
Groote Eylandt police will attempt to relocate a rogue crocodile after the 4m saltie killed a snorkeller at a popular recreation spot.
The body of the 37-year-old man, believed to be a Canadian technical services superintendent from the Gemco manganese mine, was recovered by Alyangula police at 7.30 yesterday morning after he failed to surface from a snorkel dive the previous afternoon.
He went snorkelling off some rocks about 100m north of popular Picnic Beach south of Umbakumba community on Saturday afternoon with a friend.
At some point the pair became separated and the dead man's friend raised the alarm when he had still not returned two hours after he last saw him about 20m from the shore.
Both men's distraught partners were relaxing on the beach when the attack happened.
Police immediately dispatched a twin-engine aircraft after the dead man's friend contacted them via satellite phone and a dinghy also was used to try and find him.
Residents also joined in the search but a search of 100sq km failed to turn up any trace of him.
The search was resumed at 7am yesterday and about half an hour later the man's body was recovered in shallow water at 8 Mile Creek, about 1.5km from where he was last seen.
Acting Senior Sergeant of Alyangula police Steve Pfitzner said the man's body showed signs of being mauled by a crocodile.
"There was a 4m crocodile found in the vicinity," he said.
"It's distressing for his partner and his friend who was snorkelling with him.
"His mate didn't witness the attack and police were not expecting to find a suspected croc attack victim.
"The place where they were snorkelling is a popular recreational area.
"We are advising people on Groote Eylandt to be careful when entering the water, particularly in the vicinity of where the man disappeared.
"We will try to catch the croc suspected of being involved and relocate him."
The victim had only been on Groote Eylandt for five months.
He was described by residents as quiet and well-mannered.
His unfamiliarity with the area may have contributed to his death, some long-time residents said.
The man's body will be flown to Darwin for an autopsy to confirm the cause of his death.
http://www.ntnews.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,16721087%5E13569,00.html
DAILY MAIL (London, UK) 26 September 05 'Death roll' of the world's largest reptile
Lurking in river or sea, the man-eating saltwater crocodile waits with beady eyes for its unsuspecting prey. When its gaping mouth opens, exposing two rows of spear-like teeth, there are few more awesome sights than the world's biggest reptile.
Up to 20ft long, the creature glides silently through the water before shattering the serenity of its habitat by dragging its prey under water. Swimmers or trekkers taking a dip in warm water can find themselves unwitting victims of its ambush.
Farmyard cattle and other mammals, fish and birds are the more common items eaten by the creatures. Once its prey is in the water, the crocodile begins a grim, inevitable process known as the "death roll".
Holding the animal or human under water, the so-called "saltie" swings its victim round and round, causing disorientation then drowning. It can then wait days for the carcass to decompose before munching on the flesh.
Because crocodiles have a valve which seals off the throat, the animals can open their mouths without inhaling water. Salties, which can be found hundreds of miles out to sea, are able to survive in saltwater because of special glands.
Hunting them was banned in the 1970s and now the saltie population has risen to an estimated 250,000. Briton Russell Harris, who is believed to have been killed by a saltwater crocodile over the weekend, is one of a number of humans who have fallen prey to the reptile.
The 37-year-old was snorkelling with a friend near the island of Groote Eylandt, off Australia's northern coast, when he disappeared. His body was found near where the beast had been sighted. In the last 20 years, there have been more than a dozen recorded killings of humans by this species.
Australian Brett Mann, 22, was snatched by a saltwater crocodile as he bathed in Finniss River, about 50 miles south west of Darwin, in December 2003. Two of his friends saw his body in the jaws of the reptile as they sheltered from the danger in a tree.
Student Isobel von Jordan was eaten by a 12ft saltie in Australia just 11 days after escaping death in the Bali terrorist bombing in October 2002. British musician Richard Shadwell, 35, from Sutton, Surrey, was feared killed by a saltie in a national park in Borneo, Indonesia, in April 2002.
In one remote Australian town, the creatures were spotted in the high street and on a golf course - prompting a £20,000-a-time relocation programme for the reptiles. The crocodiles are generally found in south east Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea and northern Australia.
The animals hold enough fascination among humans for some to consider them as pets. One website comments: "Saltwater crocodiles are not known to make docile pets as a general rule."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=363493&in_page_id=1770&ito=1490
CNN (Atlanta, Georgia) 25 September 05 Australia hunts killer crocodile - Reptile believed to have killed British man
Canberra, Australia (Reuters): Australian authorities are hunting a large saltwater crocodile in the country's remote far north that is believed to have killed a British man while he was snorkeling.
The world's top miner, BHP Billiton, said the victim was technical services superintendent Russell Harris, 37, who had worked at the company's Gemco mine on Groote Eylandt -- an island off Australia's Northern Territory -- for the past five months.
Harris went missing on Saturday while snorkeling with another man off Groote Eylandt while their partners remained on the beach. Police found his body on Sunday about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from where he was last seen.
Harris's body was being flown to the tropical northern city of Darwin on Monday for a post mortem, but police said his injuries were consistent with a crocodile attack and that a 4-meter (13-foot) crocodile had been seen in the area.
"We are trying to locate the crocodile and relocate it to a different area," a police spokeswoman said on Monday.
A spokeswoman for BHP Billiton said the company was arranging to fly members of Harris's family and those of his American wife to Darwin.
About a dozen people have been killed by crocodiles in Australia in the past 20 years. In August, a 60-year-old man was dragged out of a canoe and killed by a crocodile in northeastern Queensland.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/09/25/australia.crocodile.reut/index.html?section=cnn_latest
