Woman ‘snatched by crocodile during late-night swim’

Woman ‘snatched by crocodile during late-night swim’

The 46-year-old woman’s last words were “A croc’s got me!”

A large crocodile is believed to have snatched a tourist who ignored warnings and went swimming off a north Australian beach known to be infested by the reptiles.

Cindy Waldron, 46 was walking along Thornton Breach in Queensland’s Daintree National Park with a another woman when she decided to enter the water at about 10.30 yesterday evening.

Ms Waldron, who was born in New Zealand, waded into the water despite numerous signs in the area warning of the dangers posed by the many large crocodiles living within the national park

Almost immediately her 47-year-old friend heard screaming. Ms Waldron’s last word were : “A croc’s got me!”

“Her friend tried to grab her and drag her to safety but she just wasn’t able to do that,” Senior Constable Russell Parker told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“It would be very, very distressing for her.”

A search, which began at dawn today, failed to find any trace of the missing woman.

“It’s certainly very, very concerning at this stage and we would hold grave fears for the welfare of the woman,” Constable Parker said.

Neil Noble from the Queensland Ambulance Service said that the 47-year-old woman had a graze on her arm that is believed to be from the crocodile.

“They felt a nudge and her partner started to scream and then was dragged further into the water,” Mr Noble said, adding that a local crocodile expert had warned that a 16-foot crocodile had been seen in area in the past few weeks.

Daintree National Park. A local MP said that there were plenty of signs warning of crocodiles

“The whole of Cairns and up into the Cape is known for its large crocodiles,” Mr Noble said.

Warren Entsch, a government MP who represents far north Queensland, said that the attack must not spark an unreasoned debate about crocodile management in his constituency, instead blaming “human stupidity.”

“If you go in swimming at 10 o’clock at night, you’re going to get consumed,” Mr Entsch , a former crocodile hunter said.

“You can’t legislate against human stupidity.”

“This is a tragedy but it was avoidable. There are warning signs everywhere up there.”

Mr Entsch said he was worried that the attack might revive calls to cull crocodiles and that people must remember the latest attack happened inside a national park in an area where visitors are warned about the presence and dangers of crocodiles

The case has echoes of a fatal crocodile attack near the Daintree River before Christmas in 1985.

Beryl Wruck, 43, was taken by a 16-foot crocodile after a deciding to go for a late-night swim in the shallows of a creek which feeds into the Daintree River, about an hour’s drive from Thornton Beach.

Ms Wruck and several other party-goers had been cooling off after an evening of dancing and drinking.

Witnesses told of seeing a huge swirl in the water and Ms Wruck disappearing without a scream.

More recently, five-year-old Jeremy Doble died when he was attacked by a 14-foot crocodile in a swamp behind his Daintree River home.

He vanished in February 2009, with his seven-year-old brother telling police he saw a crocodile in the water moments before the boy disappeared.

Two weeks ago Noel Ramage, 75, drowned in the Northern Territory after a large crocodile attacked and overturned his small boat.