Surprising Crocodile Discovery: Aussie Creek Hosts Tropical Reptile 1,200 Miles Off Course

MELBOURNE – When her son called to report a crocodile sighting near their home, Stephanie Kirsop was understandably skeptical.

Residing in Newcastle, a city on Australia’s temperate coast and a whopping 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from the crocodile-inhabited tropics, the idea sounded far-fetched.

Twelve-year-old Lionel Saunders, along with some friends, had encountered the young, meter-long (39-inch) crocodile on Saturday afternoon. At first, authorities doubted the claim, but by Sunday night, the elusive reptile had been captured.

“My son sent videos trying to prove it was real, but I dismissed it as a log,” Kirsop recounted on Tuesday.

“Later, he called again, insisting: ‘Mom, I’m serious. You need to see this,’” Kirsop explained. “Heading there, I was convinced it was a prank and expected them to laugh at me.”

She was in no doubt it was a crocodile when she arrived.

“There is a little crocodile just swimming around in the creek where local kids go to fish and sometimes kids swim in there. Wow,” Kirsop said.

She phoned a wildlife rescue service and was told crocodiles don’t live in the area. Kirsop sent her own photos and video as proof.

Kirsop was referred to the Australian Reptile Park, which keeps its own crocodiles in a temperature-controlled environment.

Park manager Billy Collett said he suspected the images might have been artificial intelligence-generated fakes. But police confirmed there was a croc in Ironbark Creek.

“I was a bit suspicious because we get a lot of phone calls. These days with AI, it’s just so crazy,” Collett said.

He recognized it was an Australian freshwater crocodile, or crocodylus johnstoni, a smaller and less dangerous species than saltwater crocodiles.

“They’re capable of inflicting a serious injury,” Collett said of the smaller species.

Collett’s team caught the croc Sunday night 3 kilometers (2 miles) from where it was first spotted.

“I just wanted to get him out of there because he would’ve perished in winter,” Collett said. It is currently autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

The croc is healthy and will stay at the park until authorities decide where it should go permanently, Collett said. Crocs are protected under Australian law.

He suspects the croc was a pet that had been released into the wild after growing too big for a fish tank or too dangerous.