Photos of an adult and child fishing by a river have sparked outrage and concern online.
The images were shared on social media and have since gone viral, with the post captioned: “And the parent of the year award goes to? This dude.”
Another person adds that it’s left them ‘sick to their stomach,’ while a third comments: “What is wrong with people?”
In the meantime, others say it ‘doesn’t look that bad.’
The anonymous adult and child were photographed fishing at Cahills Crossing in Kakadu, in the Northern Territory.
In the images, they are shown standing within inches of water.
The stretch of river where the pair were pictured is a popular fishing spot, although there are risks and warning signs.
One such sign says: “Do not risk your life.”
Even with w:a:rnings like this, people continue to head to the location and fish there.
You see, this river is considered a high-risk crocodile location.
One sign at the site even reads: “A f.atal crocodile attack occurred here.”
Matt Cornish, co-founder of Community Representation of Crocodiles, warns that complacency around the dangerous predators can be de:adly.
“Cahills Crossing is considered to be a high-risk crocodile location where people need to be extremely vigilant,” he told Yahoo News.
“We have had crocodile fatalities there over the last couple of decades.”
Because the location is also a popular fishing area, this increases the risk of interactions between crocodiles and humans.
People who visit the area must ensure that they keep their fish away from the water’s edge.
Mick Bender, a licensed reptile handler and educator at Wildlife Unleashed, also advises visitors to keep five meters back.
He explains: “That number is based off the strike range of the largest recorded saltwater crocodile, which was seven metres. Their strike range is half of their body length – that’s tip of their nose to the base of their tail – and they can do that in the blink of an eye.”
Referencing the viral photos, professional crocodile wrangler Tommy Hayes says he’s glad people are ‘not shrugging it off,’ as it will make people more aware of the extreme dangers reptiles pose.
