NORTHERN TERRITORY NEWS (Darwin, Australia) 08 October 09 Creepy camp croc sparks warning (Alyssa Betts)
{Photo at URL below}: A Tents Situation: A croc expert has warned campers to stay well clear of the beach... or risk a midnight bite. Pictures: Reader Supplied
If you think it's safe to camp on the edge of the water, these pics should make you think again.
Taken in northeast Arnhem Land, they show that our famous maneaters are never too far from the water's edge.
And they seem to like tents.
The snaps come from Darwin man Mark, who was out with an Aboriginal elder in 2007 when he took the pics.
"We had two tents and when we woke in the morning we found the imprint on the sand ... the croc having watched one of the tents for quite a while,'' he said.
Crocodylus Park chief scientist Charlie Manolis said it was highly possible a croc had been lurking just metres from the camp.
"Crocs have been known to walk into people's camp sites, and grab bits of food after everyone's gone to bed - they've been known to walk out of the water and grab people sleeping in their tents,'' he said.
"There was a lady grabbed up in Queensland, another lady grabbed here at Little Finniss River - and a guy in Queensland was sleeping near a billabong and woke to find a crocodile on his chest.''
Mr Manolis said it was possible, in this case, that a croc had been sizing up the camp site.
"They're sit-and-wait predators - they sit and wait for something silly enough to walk down to the water.''
He said the tents were too close to the water's edge.
While Mr Manolis said there was no official rule on a distance to set up camp, generally it was advised to camp 50m to 100m from water.
Creepy camp croc sparks warning

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