Crocodile in Australia ate nine dogs

SYDNEY: A 4.4-metre (14.5-feet) crocodile that had eaten up to nine pet dogs has been hauled out of a river in Australia's north, a report said on Friday.

The rogue croc was trapped at Daly River community, some 225 kilometres (139 miles) south of Darwin, where it was terrorising residents and animals, the Northern Territory News said.

Community police officer Mark Casey told the newspaper his office had nine reports of dogs being taken by a crocodile, believed to be the animal caught, in a month.

"Crocs are an ever-present danger but you don't see them," he said.

"They can sit for days on end on the other side of the river and watch you go fishing off the same log or rock -- that's how they hunt.

"Next thing you know, bang, the dog's gone."

As the saltwater crocodile drew ever closer to the settlement of 500 people, also snatching wallabies, a decision was made to catch it.

While the pet-eating beast was caught, Casey said there were two more big crocs and a small one still on the loose in the area.

Saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to seven metres long and weigh more than a tonne, are a common feature of Australia's tropical north and kill an average of two people a year.

Caught crocs are usually relocated to wildlife parks. (AFP)

Woman survives crocodile attack in Australia

SYDNEY: A woman has survived after being attacked by a crocodile while swimming from a luxury tourist boat at a remote bay in Western Australia, the ship's operator said on Tuesday.

Tara Hawkes, 23, was in shallow water near the vessel True North at Dugong Bay in the Kimberley region when the two-metre (6ft 6ins) crocodile bit her upper leg.

A passenger is believed to have pulled her to safety and she was flown by helicopter to the nearest hospital where she was in a stable condition on Monday night being treated for lacerations and puncture wounds.

Peter Trembath of North Star Cruises, the vessel's operator, said in a statement that the attack happened at a freshwater pool in only waist-deep water.

"Crew members checked the pool before entering the water. However, they did not detect the crocodile, which was estimated to be two metres in length," he said, adding that Hawkes worked as a crew member on the boat.

A Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation spokesman said it had put out a warning to tourist operators not to let people swim in the area because it was believed the crocodile was still there. (AFP)