A lifeguard at a public swimming pool in Darwin spotted and rescued a crocodile who was paddling among unaware bathers.
Tim Dupe, a brave lifeguard aged 54, managed to fish the crocodile out from the shallow end of the Parap swimming pool in Darwin.
At the time, the pool was hosting a swimming boot camp, but thankfully the reptile ‘had a lane to itself.’
Fortunately for those swimming, the crocodile was merely a juvenile, measuring only 50cm in length.
Ranger Tommy Nichols suspects that the crocodile was placed in the pool as a prank, adding that this incident marks the third time a crocodile has surfaced in a public pool over the last few years.
He remarked: ‘They didn’t get there by themselves. It’s just a stupid thing to do.’
‘Certainly, a croc this size isn’t going to hurt anyone, but if it had been larger, the outcome could have been dire.’
Rangers have since released the crocodile back into the wild at a secret location nearby.
