A juvenile crocodile was spotted in a creek near Newcastle, Australia — roughly 1,200 miles south of the country’s tropical crocodile range — after a 12-year-old boy and his friends saw the animal Saturday afternoon. The boy, Lionel Saunders, filmed the roughly one-meter crocodile in Ironbark Creek and called his mother, Stephanie Kirsop, who at first thought it might be a log until she returned and saw it for herself.
Kirsop contacted a wildlife rescue service and was initially told crocodiles do not live in the area. After she sent photos and video she was referred to the Australian Reptile Park. Park manager Billy Collett said he at first suspected the images might be AI fakes, but police confirmed the sighting. Wildlife officers and staff from the reptile park captured the animal Sunday night about two miles from the original location.
Collett identified the animal as an Australian freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni), a smaller species than the larger and more dangerous saltwater crocodile, though still capable of inflicting serious injury. He said the team removed the crocodile in part because they were worried it would not survive the coming winter. The juvenile appears healthy and will remain at the park while authorities decide on a permanent home; crocodiles are protected under Australian law.
Collett suspects the crocodile had been kept as a pet and was released when it outgrew a tank or became dangerous to its owner. Releasing captive reptiles into the wild poses risks to both the animals and local communities.
Australia has a history of crocodile incidents: between December 1985 and April 2024, Queensland recorded 34 non-fatal and 14 fatal attacks by wild saltwater crocodiles. Recent high-profile cases under investigation include a tourist found inside a large crocodile in August 2024 and the killing of a 12-year-old girl in the Northern Territory, after which rangers shot a 14-foot crocodile.