WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
A Queensland tour operator, who described the death of a crocodile as akin to losing a loved one, says he has been taunted by a man claiming to have killed the animal and another.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Hunt for suspected serial croc killer in far north Queensland.
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David White from Solar Whisper Daintree Cruises has been mourning the death last month of 40-year-old croc Elizabeth, known as the “Queen of the Daintree”.
He learned of her death on May 23 after she had not been seen for more than a week.
“It’s really, really sad for me. I named her Elizabeth years ago and I’ve been watching her for over 20 years,” he told 7NEWS.
“It’s like losing one of the family.”
But making the grief worse is that “Lizzie” appears to have been deliberately killed.
White found the croc’s head on the banks of the river. He believes it was left there to taunt him.
And he says last month he received an anonymous call from a man gloating about killing Elizabeth and feeding her to his dogs.
The man also confessed to decapitating a croc that was found headless at Cow Bay, north of Cairns, in April, White said.
According to White, the man said he removed the croc’s head with a chainsaw.
Wildlife officers are continuing to hunt the croc killer, calling for anyone with information to contact the state environment department which has the power to prosecute wildlife crimes.
White took reiterated his plea for justice for Elizabeth via Instagram on Friday.
“If you know who did this, please make an anonymous phone call. This man doesn’t need your protection, what he did was just wrong,” he said.
He said Elizabeth was used to the sight of humans due to the tour, so would not have been scared off by the sight of her killer.
“This is not hunting, this is like shooting an animal in a cage,” White said.
“She has for at least more than two decades been the most photographed crocodile on the Daintree. So, when boats come, she just sits there and poses.
“She did not know that man can be a cold-blooded killer. She did not know to hide. She had no chance.
“She would have just sat there posing for what she thought was a camera, another photoshoot — not a gun, not her last moment.”
Crocodiles have been declared vulnerable and are a protected species in Queensland under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.
Deliberately harming, killing or being in possession of any part of a dead crocodile is against the law and carries a maximum penalty of $32,243.
– With Freya Jensen
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