By Melissa Maddison and Meecham Philpott, ABC News
A tourism operator in north Queensland says he cannot understand why anyone would shoot a crocodile known as ‘Fat Guts’ with a bow and arrow.
The 3.5 metre reptile, who lives in the Proserpine River, has been shot in the neck.
Two attempts to remove the arrow have been unsuccessful.
“Fat Guts” the crocodile. © Dale Mengel, flikr
Whitsunday Crocodile Safaris operator Steve Watson says it looks like the croc was shot while he was basking on a riverbank.
“I think they’ve snuck in behind him and had a shot at him because [of] the angle of the arrow,” he said.
“We were out there doing our tour on the 15th, showing people from all over the world how wonderful our piece of paradise is here.
“The next thing he’s coming off the bank and there’s an arrow sticking out of his neck at a 45-degree angle.”
Mr Watson says he does not believe it is an isolated attack.
“We’ve been seeing evidence … obviously someone’s gone and got themselves a bow and set themselves up with a bit of gear,” he said.
“There’s arrows broken off around the forest at our camp site there and spearheads jammed in the signage at the front of our access, things like that.
“I’d say they’d be taking shots at agile wallabies and so on.”
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