German tourist dies in croc attack

[Jan]

Whilst I have every sympathy for her family and friends, I do wish people would learn to read signs :cry2:

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,5343229%255E2,00.html

[anhedonia]

It's a tragedy, but how stupid to ignore all the warning signs!

[n7of9]

They're going to KILL that crocodile because of that STUPID tourist. It's not the crocs fault. Its the corcs environment, not the German tourists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jan]

Who says they are going to kill it? It will probably be relocated at Crocodilus Park for a bit and then back to where it belongs.

[anhedonia]

Originally posted by n7of9
They're going to KILL that crocodile because of that STUPID tourist. It's not the crocs fault. Its the corcs environment, not the German tourists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm with you on the whole 'what the hell are you killing the crocodile for?' bit, but apparently she was with a tour group. In that case, the tour group should be sued and forced to not conduct tours anymore.

They did kill the crocodile, I just heard. That is just stupid - it is the crocodile's environment. To the crocodile, humans would be like a roast lamb. Put a roast lamb in front of a hungry human, and what does the human do? He or she eats the roast lamb. I feel for the girl's family, and it is very sad, but we had no place to kill any crocodiles behaving in a natural, instinctive way in their own natural environments.

[Jan]

Originally posted by anhedonia
but apparently she was with a tour group. In that case, the tour group should be sued and forced to not conduct tours anymore.
So the tour operators should monitor what the tourists do 24 hours a day? This was at midnight (11.30 Central Australian Time) they decided to take a dip in the billabong.

[anhedonia]

Ohh, STUPID NEWS! I should have learned by now they never tell you the whole/real story. Sorry for my uninformed former post, but I still stand by my opinion that the crocodile should not have been killed.

[Jan]

The two women were members of a tour group, several of whom went swimming at Sandy Billabong around 11.30pm CST (midnight AEST), despite signs warning of the danger of crocodiles in the area. was in the URL I posted ^^

I haven't heard they killed the croc though.

[aphel aura]

The crocodile was harpooned. The croc must be very lucky to stay alive. Steve Irwin should've come downtown....:D

[Haze]

What a waste of DNA.. You know its sad that a human life was lost because of this, but jeeze.. she basically asked for it! They should have let the crocks finish her off.. instead they took another inocent life, not to mention food from the poor crock itself.

Edit: Assuming the crock was killed ( no doubt if it wasn't it probably will ), the poor thing.

[Coight]

I have no sympathy for stupidity.

[Haze]

Originally posted by MN-Robert
I have no sympathy for stupidity.
It really does sound like something that should have been on All Aussie Adventures, no? I wonder if Mr. Coight had anything to do with this at all? Hmmm... :confused:

[Jan]

Originally posted by Haze
Edit: Assuming the crock was killed ( no doubt if it wasn't it probably will ), the poor thing.
He looks pretty dead on the front page of today's paper. :(

The crocodile will be cut up and frozen in case it is needed in later police investigations.

http://news.com.au/nt/

[Coight]

Originally posted by Haze

It really does sound like something that should have been on All Aussie Adventures, no? I wonder if Mr. Coight had anything to do with this at all? Hmmm... :confused:

I could imagine it attaching to his groin.

[harrypower]

apparently it was killed because it didnt want to let go of its tasty snack.

who the hell would think "hey lets go swim in a croc infested billabong in the middle of the night" - drunkeness is no excuse for that level of stupidity.

If it was the tour leader - thats totally irresponsible, would he be up on charges?

[Jan]

There is no indication that they were drunk, pubs are few and far between in these remote areas of the outback :p

There is a possibility that the tour operator will face disciplinary action. I guess the police will interview all of those in the tour party and decide from there. If they decided to walk the 1.5Kms in the moonlight without the guide, then he/she should be okay.

I can understand that a cool dip would be tempting as it darned hot here at the moment! (But I wouldn't walk 1.5 Kms to take a dip, especially in the middle of the night!)

[Haze]

Originally posted by Jan
I can understand that a cool dip would be tempting as it darned hot here at the moment! (But I wouldn't walk 1.5 Kms to take a dip, especially in the middle of the night!)
Especially in this country, Oz, which has the highest concentration of poisonous animals in the world!

[Jan]

I reckon the tour guide might just lose his license :devious2:

The tourist killed by a crocodile in Kakadu National Park had been told by her tour guide that it was safe to swim in the billabong, her sister said yesterday.

But rangers have said the waterway was home to eight large saltwater crocodiles.

Valerie von Jordan, 21, said the guide swam with the tourists but had left the water before the attack. She told her story to Harry Maschke, the German diplomatic representative in Darwin.

Her sister Isabel was taken by the 5m saltwater crocodile in Sandy Creek billabong, 40km south of Jabiru, at 11.30pm on Tuesday.

The tour guide allegedly told the tourists: ``Aborigines swim in the billabong and they know it's safe because there are only freshwater crocodiles here.''

The tour guide's boss, Michael Scott Dunbar, owner of Gondwana Adventure Tours & Expeditions, did not return telephone calls yesterday.

Mr Dunbar and the guide were interviewed by police yesterday.

Mr Maschke was speaking after accompanying Valerie to Darwin airport for her flight home to Munich.

Valerie and 24-year-old Isabel had come to Darwin after being in Bali during the terrorist bombings.

But they had not been close to the explosion.

They had travelled to Darwin via Thailand and Indonesia.

The sisters had planned to go to Alice Springs yesterday.

``Valerie told me that Isabel was not only her sister but her best friend,'' Mr Maschke said.

Meanwhile, Parks Australia project officer Greg Miles said all tourist operators in Kakadu were licensed and obliged to ensure the safety of visitors.

Any review of Gondwana's licence would not be made until NT police completed their investigation and made their report to the coroner.

Northern Territory News

[Coight]

Originally posted by MN-Robert


I could imagine it attaching to his groin.

Anyone seen the preview of russell coight this week? He actually get's bitten on the groin :D

[Haze]

Originally posted by MN-Robert


Anyone seen the preview of russell coight this week? He actually get's bitten on the groin :D
Got any lotto numbers for me mate? :D

[adizlaja]

If it's true that this happened at night, maybe the tourist didn't see the freaking signs. God knows where those signs were. Maybe they were hid behind a tree or something, or what if the tourist came from a side that didn't have any signs?

[Jan]

Croc tour guide to face charges
By EDITH BEVIN
October 30, 2002

The NT tour guide who is alleged to have allowed his group to swim in crocodile-infested waters will face criminal charges over the death of a 23-year-old German tourist.

Police had considered charging the guide with manslaughter.

But the Northern Territory News learned last night they have now recommended to Director of Public Prosecutions Rex Wild he face the lesser charge of committing a dangerous act causing death.

The charge attracts a maximum jail term of 10 years.

The Department of Prosecutions said last night it had not yet received the case papers from police.

Isabel von Jordan was killed by a 5m saltwater crocodile in Sandy Creek billabong, 40km south of Jabiru.

The guide allegedly told tourists it was safe to swim in the waterway. The billabong is known to be home to at least eight large saltwater crocodiles.

An autopsy has shown Ms von Jordan died from drowning.

It is understood the guide has continued to take tours into Kakadu National Park since the fatal crocodile attack.

Park manager Chris Haynes said Parks Australia was not in a position to suspend the guide or his company, Darwin-based Gondwana Adventure Tours & Expeditions, pending investigations of the fatal late-night swim.

The guide had continued operating in the park last week after the tragedy last Tuesday, he said.

"At the present time, we haven't completed reports yet and until that's done, we're not in a position to take any action," Mr Haynes said.

Gondwana is licensed to operate in Kakadu and the guide is allowed entry through that licence.

Gondwana declined to comment yesterday.

Northern Territory News