Twenty-six-year-old IT worker Sean Cole of Darwin went to Mary River, which is about 100km away from the Northern Territory Capital, with a group of friends for a friend's 30th birthday party on Saturday night, August 24. Despite several warning signs posted surrounding Mary River regarding the prohibition of swimming due to crocodile attacks, Cole and one of his friends stubbornly swam across the river and upon their return, Cole’s body was already in the jaws of a large crocodile. His friends witnessed the horrific incident and were traumatized, according to the NT police.At least four crocodiles had been shot in the area following the incident, including the 4.8 meter crocodile that was believed to be responsible for the attack throughout search of the missing body, Parks and Wildlife ranger Tom Nichols said.
"Any animals that were in that range which we believed to be a possible target in the area where the accident took place, we usually take them out for simple reasons, we do autopsies on those and it's also closure for the families if there's anything there," Nichols added.
Cole’s body was found just 200m from where the attack happened about 5.30am (CST) on Monday.
Cole’s death is the first known crocodile-related fatality on the Mary River. According to crocodile expert Dr. Grahame Webb, Mary River is the habitat of thousands of saltwater crocodiles and swimming in the said river will mean a 100% chance of being attacked by a crocodile.
“Parks and Wildlife put a huge effort now into public education, so because we've got a transient population up here it's really important people learn quickly, and I doubt there's much more you can do," Webb was quoted as saying.
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