Alexander “Wookie” Williams is a tour guide at one of the Top End’s most iconic waterways, showcasing both the region’s natural environment and the creatures that call it home.<\/p>\n
But on a recent tour, Wookie spotted something unusual on the Adelaide River, near Darwin \u2014 a 2-metre juvenile saltwater crocodile, dubbed Jiminy by guides, with his mouth muzzled by two zip ties.<\/p>\n
The animal was struggling to feed itself on the riverbank and in distress.<\/p>\n
Wookie \u2014 who uses they\/them pronouns \u2014 immediately contacted Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife staff, who permitted them to remove the zip ties for the animal’s safety and welfare.<\/p>\n
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Alexander “Wookie” Williams says seeing the restrained crocodile made them “really angry”. (ABC News: Marcus Kennedy)<\/p>\n
“It made me really angry,” they said.<\/p>\n
“There’s no room for any part of it to have been an accident \u2026 Jiminy is too big, too heavy to be accidentally pulled up into a boat.<\/p>\n
“It was an intentional thing \u2026 whoever did it thought about it and decided it was still a good idea to kill this crocodile, basically in one of the slowest ways possible.”<\/p>\n
Wookie said it took 40 minutes to remove the tight restraints, calling it a “slow and patient process” and an “exhausting experience”.<\/p>\n
Wookie said if the crocodile had remained restrained by the zip ties, it would have been a death sentence.<\/p>\n
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Adelaide River, about an hour’s drive from Darwin, is estimated to be home to more than 1,000 saltwater crocodiles.\u00a0 (ABC News: Marcus Kennedy)<\/p>\n
“For a crocodile to stay the same size, they have to eat 1 per cent of their body size per week,” they said.<\/p>\n
“With Jiminy’s mouth zip-tied shut, they also wouldn’t be able to defend themselves against other crocodiles.<\/p>\n
“Every saltwater crocodile will be a bully to whoever they can. If another crocodile realises that this one cannot open its mouth, [it] becomes a prime target to attack, harass, kill and eat.”<\/p>\n
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Sam Hyson says members of the public should not touch or interfere with wildlife. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)<\/p>\n
NT Parks and Wildlife acting director Sam Hyson said the agency had opened an investigation into the incident and urged anyone with information to come forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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He urged people not to engage in copycat scenarios, noting some animals carried diseases that could be transmitted to humans, putting them at risk.<\/p>\n
“My message would be if you’re not licensed to do so, look and don’t touch, just take photos or video and enjoy these animals and plants in their native environments,” he said.<\/p>\n
Growing concerns over reckless wildlife interactions<\/p>\n
Mr Hyson said the crocodile’s treatment showed a disregard for wildlife, and suggested recent incidents interstate could be fuelling such behaviour.<\/p>\n
Early this year, American influencer Sam Jones posted a video online showing her capturing a wild baby wombat and carrying it away from its mother<\/a>, causing both animals to become distressed.<\/p>\n Last month, another American wildlife influencer, Mike Holston, posted footage of himself jumping out of a boat and grabbing a freshwater crocodile<\/a> in northern Queensland, also sparking backlash.<\/p>\n