Wildlife officers can't get shot of crocodile

October 28, 2010

 

Wildlife officers have tried to shoot a crocodile that keeps returning to Broome's Cable Beach after failing to scare it away or capture it.

The 2.5m croc has forced the closure of the popular tourist beach on and off over the past five days as it kept returning to an area near the surf club. On Thursday, West Australian Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) officers attempted to shoot the reptile but failed due to deteriorating sea conditions.

DEC officer Sharon Ferguson said attempts to harass the croc away using a DEC vessel had failed and attempts to catch it on Wednesday for relocation were also unsuccessful.
"Because it's such a high risk to public safety we need to remove the crocodile from the area," she said.
"It's not huge but certainly big enough to do some significant damage."
During any further attempts to shoot the croc, police officers would be on board to assess the risks, Ms Ferguson said.
"We need the conditions to be right so we don't wound the crocodile.
"We need it to be a clear shot."
Ms Ferguson said if the croc returned on Friday, DEC officers would again try to remove it.
She said it was not too unusual to have crocodiles pass by Cable Beach but it was very unusual to have one returning day after day.

AAP