Wildlife officers kill crocodile that attacked two Australian soldiers

The crocodile that attacked two Australian soldiers off the east coast of Cape York in far north Queensland has been killed.

The two soldiers were seriously mauled while fishing in a known crocodile hotspot about 4pm on Friday near the Portland Roads community.

The men were fishing in a known crocodile hotspot. Credit:iStock

The first man, in his 20s, suffered serious cuts and tears to his head and upper body, while the second, in his 30s, had injuries to his arms after trying to help his friend.

A nearby army medic applied first aid, including a tourniquet to stem the bleeding of the more seriously injured man.

The pair were eventually flown to Cairns after a seven-hour rescue effort that involved a dinghy, helicopter and later a plane.

A helicopter, called in from Horn Island in the Torres Strait, dropped the injured men at the Lockhart River airport.

The Environment Department said the crocodile was found near the site of the attack.

“The 2.5-metre crocodile was observed swimming in the vicinity of where the incident occurred last Friday and was easily identified by its highly aggressive behaviour when approached by boat,” the department said in a statement.

“DES deployed a range of resources to capture the animal, including a vessel, wildlife officers, drones, crocodile traps and baited snares.”

Wildlife officer Ren Bone said the crocodile had been humanely euthanised.

“In this case if we were to trap and remove the animal over a long distance, that usually has a negative outcome for the crocodile, and we can’t leave an animal who’s attacked a human being in the community because that would pose a risk to them,” he said.

Cloe Read is a breaking news reporter at Brisbane Times.

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