SYDNEY, Jan 20 (NNN-AAP) – A man was taken to hospital this morning, after he was attacked by a crocodile, in the north-east Australian state of Queensland.
Emergency services were called to reports of an animal-related incident at a stream, near the small town of Ingham, over 1,000 km north of Brisbane, in Queensland’s tropical far north, at around 8:40 a.m. today.
A spokesperson for the Queensland Ambulance Service, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), that, a man aged in his 20’s had been bitten by a crocodile and suffered puncture wounds to his back, legs and one of his hands.
He was taken to a local hospital in a stable condition, before being airlifted about 100 km to a hospital in the city of Townsville.
The state government of Queensland, last month, introduced a new crocodile management plan, that will make wetlands in Ingham an active removal zone for any crocodiles found by proactive Parks and Wildlife Service patrols.
Andrew Powell, Queensland’s minister for the environment and tourism, said at the time that, the new plan would improve safety.
“More patrols and expansion of removal areas will prioritise safety and strike the balance needed for crocodile management in Queensland,” he said.
The state government estimates that there are up to 30,000 crocodiles in Queensland, not including hatchlings.– NNN-AAP