‘Don’t want to alarm … but’: Croc spotted in Qld resort pool
Footage has emerged of a saltwater crocodile enjoying a dip in a Port Douglas resort pool, while guests relax just a few steps away.
The video, posted to social media at the weekend, shows the baby croc lying on the bottom of the pool at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort.
“I don’t want to alarm anyone but there is a crocodile in the Sheraton pool,” guest Lisa Keller said in a video uploaded to TikTok and Instagram.
One of her followers responds: “Alarm someone. Someone should be alarmed.”
Further footage shows most guests paying little attention to the scaly invader as they lounge by the pool.
“Update: Not a single person cares,” Keller wrote.
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In another video posted to TikTok, the crocodile — by now dubbed Carlos — can be seen slowly swimming around in the pool as staff set up a barrier to keep guests away.
Smiling resort employees are later seen carrying away the small crocodile, which has electrical tape around its mouth.
Hotel manager Joseph Amerio said the croc was spotted early on Saturday morning. The pool was then cordoned off until Queensland state wildlife officers removed it in the afternoon.
The Sheraton Mirage is a five-star beachfront hotel. Rooms start at about $400 a night and go up to $1900.
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A spokesperson for the Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation said on Sunday that wildlife rangers had responded to a reported crocodile sighting made through the QWildlife app.
“Wildlife rangers removed and rehomed a crocodile … following a report via the QWildlife app of the animal in a Port Douglas hotel pool,” the spokesperson said.
“Crocodile warning signs have been placed in the area by wildlife officers.”
The croc in the pool comes after a large saltwater crocodile was spotted on the 10th hole fairway of the Palmer Sea Reef Golf Course, about three kilometres from the Sheraton resort, earlier this year.
Also in Queensland, a family in the state’s far north found a baby crocodile in their backyard pool after Cyclone Jasper, about two years ago.
It was even smaller than the croc at the Sheraton, but wildlife experts warned it could still do serious damage.
“I can tell you from experience that even a crocodile at that size can shred a finger,” WIRES volunteer Gary Pattinson told Yahoo News Australia at the time.
“That’s a really young one, but they’ve still got an extremely quick and powerful bite.”
Crocodile sightings in Queensland can be reported through the QWildlife app, on the department’s website or by calling 1300 130 372. The spokesperson said every sighting was investigated.
