A fisherman met a gruesome end when two crocodiles preyed on him during a weekend fishing trip.
Australian officials discovered the remains of a man who went missing on Saturday, April 29, while fishing with friends in the Australian wetlands.
The fisherman, identified as Kevin Darmody, a 65-year-old hotel owner from Queensland, Australia, was attacked by crocodiles. The incident occurred at Kennedy’s Bend, a saltwater river renowned for barramundi fish and hungry crocs in Lakefield National Park.
Darmody and his friends had been fishing around 3:30 pm when he vanished. According to his friends, they did not witness the attack but heard screams, followed by a loud splash, and he was never seen again. After an intensive two-day search, wildlife officers shot two crocodiles on Monday, May 1, less than a mile from where Darmody was last seen alive. Upon examination, officials confirmed that Darmody’s remains were found inside the reptiles’ stomachs.
Authorities believe that when Darmody approached the water’s edge to retrieve a lure, one or both crocodiles seized him. His friends later discovered his flip-flops on the riverbank. Darmody, affectionately known as “Stumpy” among his friends due to his short stature, owned the Peninsula Hotel in Laura, Queensland. Bart Harrison, a fellow fisherman, described him as friendly and talkative. Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott characterized Darmody as a unique individual with resilience and a passion for fishing.Michael Joyce, a wildlife operations manager at the Department of Environment and Science, said that while it is uncommon for crocodiles to feed on the remains of a human victim, it is not unprecedented. Crocodile attacks in Northern Australia are rare, with Darmody’s death marking the 13th fatal crocodile attack since 1985. The crocodile population in Queensland has surged from 5,000 to 30,000 since a hunting ban went into effect in 1974.
