A young female crocodile found in a Port Douglas resort pool has been given a new home at a Far North Queensland wildlife park, where staff say she will live a “very good life”.<\/p>\n
Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures wildlife curator Angela Freedman said the 1.3-metre saltwater crocodile, set to be named “Sheraton”, was brought in on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Earlier that morning, the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort said one of its staff spotted the small reptile in one of the hotel’s pools during a patrol.<\/p>\n
The incident was reported to Queensland’s Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI).<\/p>\n
Shortly after, wildlife rangers rescued and relocated the animal as guests swarmed around the pool.<\/p>\n
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The hotel’s many pools are positioned close to the beach, which experts suspect gives easy access for crocodiles. (Supplied: Google Maps)<\/p>\n
Social media videos soon started circulating online.<\/p>\n
The croc will spend time in quarantine before likely being moved into the Hartley’s Lagoon, which hosts the park’s daily boat tours.<\/p>\n
“I think she will have a very good life, so fear not \u2014 well-fed, nice lagoon, handsome boys to hang out with in the future,” Ms Freedman said.<\/p>\n
Hartley’s operates under both a farming and wildlife licence, allowing it to accept crocodiles that come through DETSI’s management plans.<\/p>\n
Ms Freedman said the department aimed to relocate animals as close as possible to where they were found and that wild animals never ended up in the farm.<\/p>\n
However, she said returning the animal to the beach was not an option.<\/p>\n
“If you just simply popped it across the road, the crocodile would end up in someone else’s swimming pool within a short period of time,” she said.<\/p>\n
Resort guest Lisa Essenhigh arrived back at the hotel late in the afternoon but said there was “not a buzz” about the croc and that no-one had mentioned it at reception.<\/p>\n
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She said the only indication was “danger” tape around the pool, so she and her friends jumped in another pool.<\/p>\n
“We jumped up to the swim bar, grabbed a drink and we were on our way back to the edge of the pool and noticed some rangers in ranger uniforms with long poles and loops on the end,” Ms Essenhigh said.<\/p>\n
“In anticipation of seeing what’s going on, I’m splashing my margarita \u2026 and I’m seeing a crocodile swimming across the [other] pool.”<\/p>\n
She said the capture happened quickly, a few guests clapped, and everyone went back to their holidays.<\/p>\n
“We just thought it was hilarious,” Ms Essenhigh said. “Only in Far North Queensland is this going to happen.”<\/p>\n
Why would the croc be in the pool?<\/p>\n
Crocodile breeding season in Far North Queensland occurs between September and February each year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ms Freedman said male and female crocs became more aggressive as they sought mates and places to nest.<\/p>\n Angela Freedman says the croc will live a good life at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. (ABC Far North: Brendan Mounter)<\/p>\n Sheraton \u2014 which Ms Freedman estimated was around two years old and more than six years from breeding age \u2014 was likely displaced by bigger crocs.<\/p>\n “It’s probably just come up to try to find some safety, being a small crocodile,” Ms Freedman said.<\/p>\n “It’s very likely it’s been pushed around by some of the other crocodiles in its natural habitat.”<\/p>\n She said it was not unusual for the reptile to end up in the pool, given its proximity to the beach.<\/p>\n International Union for Conservation of Nature crocodile specialist group co-chair Charlie Manolis agreed the animal could have entered the pool on its own.<\/p>\n Crocodile expert Charlie Manolis says crocs sometimes get disorientated. (ABC News: Cameron Simmons)<\/p>\n He said crocodiles regularly turned up in pools in countries such as India and the United States.<\/p>\n “Sometimes crocs get disorientated, and they will go anywhere there’s water,” Dr Manolis said.<\/p>\n “The chlorine wouldn’t have hurt it \u2014 if it’s good enough for your children, it’s not going to hurt a crocodile.”<\/p>\n But Dr Manolis said it was also possible the croc was put in the pool as part of a prank, noting a prank in Darwin in 2011.<\/a><\/p>\n Crocs in weird places<\/p>\n During significant weather events in Australia’s tropical north, crocodiles occasionally turn up in unusual places<\/a>.<\/p>\n Heavy rain and flooding can wash them into towns<\/a>, homes, backyards and farms<\/a>.<\/p>\n Temporary signs are sometimes put up in Cairns to warn residents of crocodiles seen in suburban creeks. (ABC Far North: Kristy Sexton-McGrath)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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