Queensland's Houdini crocodile to remain in popular lake

October 13, 2024 7:52 PM

Queensland's Houdini crocodile to remain in popular lake, but mystery remains about how it got there. An elusive freshwater crocodile that has been the talk of an outback town for months will not be targeted for removal after wildlife authorities deemed the "shy and timid" animal no threat to human life. Context: No human fatalities are known to have been caused by this species.

Wildlife officer Ella Meeve said they only spotted the crocodile four times across several days.

"We can understand why it has earned the name Houdini, as he was very difficult to locate," Ms Meeve said.

"Any time we did observe him, it was only for a few seconds and then he'd disappear for [a] long period of time.

"Being such a shy and timid animal, being quite skittish, he doesn't seem to pose much risk to human safety."

Given the crocodile's behaviour, Ms Meeve said it would not be targeted for removal.

"Freshwater crocodiles are generally very safe for us to co-exist around," she said.

"Our recommendation to the residents of Hughenden is stay out of the animal's way and the animal will stay away from you."

posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (2 comments total)

I would like to point out that Houdini was very easy to locate, as he put up posters encouraging people to see him. Have they tried putting this crocodile in handcuffs or a tank of water to see if he can get out? Hmph. I thought not.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:54 AM on October 14 [2 favorites]

Kind of cool...but also mildly terrifying? Sure, he's not a monster saltie, but...he is still a croc with big sharp teeth, and he's not a wee small lad (baby crocodilians are adorable).
posted by davidmsc at 9:43 AM on October 14