A weekend fishing trip turned tragic when two crocodiles attacked and consumed a fisherman in the Australian wetlands.
Authorities uncovered the remains of a man, reported missing on Saturday, April 29, as he was fishing with his friends in the wetlands of Australia.
The victim, identified as Kevin Darmody, a 65-year-old hotel proprietor from Queensland, Australia, was tragically attacked by crocodiles at Kennedy’s Bend, a saltwater river known for its abundance of barramundi fish and ferocious crocodiles in Lakefield National Park.
Darmody went missing around 3:30 pm while fishing with his companions. They didn’t witness the attack, but heard screams followed by a large splash before he disappeared. After an exhaustive two-day search, wildlife officers shot and killed two crocodiles on Monday, May 1, less than a mile from where Darmody was last spotted. Upon inspection, it was confirmed that Darmody’s remains were inside the stomachs of the two crocodiles.
It is believed that Darmody was near the water’s edge, attempting to recover a lure, when one or both crocodiles seized him. His flip-flops were later found on the riverbank. Known as “Stumpy” to his friends due to his short stature, Darmody was the owner of the Peninsula Hotel in Laura, Queensland. His friend Bart Harrison, a fellow angler, described him as affable and outgoing. Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott spoke of Darmody as a one-of-a-kind individual with a strong spirit and a love for fishing.
Michael Joyce, a wildlife operations manager at the Department of Environment and Science, mentioned that while it is unusual for crocodiles to consume human remains, it has happened before. Crocodile attacks in Northern Australia are infrequent, with Darmody’s death being the 13th fatal incident since 1985. The crocodile population in Queensland has increased from 5,000 to 30,000 since the introduction of a hunting ban in 1974.
