‘Someone's going to get taken'

Crocs sunning themselves on the banks of the Proserpine River.

Contributed

TALKING about their encounters with a large crocodile in the Fitzroy River still makes Depot Hill neighbours Paul Smith and Kevin Doblo nervous.

The pair has twice had their boat bumped by a large crocodile, which they believe to be about 14ft (4.3m) long, while fishing at the “cut through” in the Fitzroy River near Thompson Point.

On Tuesday while trying to check their crab pots on the way home from a fishing trip, the large crocodile surfaced alongside the boat as Paul was pulling a pot out of the water.

The croc followed them along as they went to check another pot.

At the same time, another crocodile, estimated to be about 12ft (3.7m) in length, was 100m behind them.

Three weeks ago the croc bumped their boat and caused them a shock, nearly knocking them overboard.

The pair regularly fish in the area and have seen many crocs before, but they insist they have never seen one so aggressive.

“We go down there a fair bit and they're (crocodiles) normally not as agro,” Paul said.

“Normally they just go in the water.”

The encounter left the pair shaking for a couple of hours.

“It took a couple of hours to calm down,” Kevin said.

“I'm not going back until they catch that one,” Paul said.

Paul and Kevin have contacted the Department of Environment and Resource Management. “It's a little too friendly. Someone's going to get taken,” Paul said.

They are hoping the crocodile may be caught and relocated.

Department of Environment and Resource Management Queensland Parks and Wildlife Central Region Team Leader Joe Adair said DERM officers would conduct a survey in the river to verify the sighting.