Woman in Australia warns off crocodile with her flip flop

[yuiyoshida]

SYDNEY: A woman in Australia's Northern Territory forced a prowling salt water crocodile to turn and run after slapping her flip flop against her hand and shouting at the reptile.

The woman was standing with a small dog at the edge of the water at Cahill's Crossing on the East Alligator River in Kakadu National Park when she scared off the crocodile, much to the concern of one onlooker.

"It's just incredible someone would take such a risk. I don't think she realised how dangerous this kind of behaviour is," local crocodile enthusiast Lyndon Anlezark, who filmed the encounter, told Reuters.

Local rangers believe there are more than 120 crocodiles in the six km (four miles) stretch of river south from Cahill's Crossing.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/woman-in-australia-warns-off-crocodile-with-her-flip-flop/3175698.html?cid=twtcna

[Ellen Forradalom]

1. Instant "Meanwhile in Australia" classic

[Spitfire of ATJ]

2. She should have been wearing crocks.

[montana_hazeleyes]

3. Okay, that's one my beloved late dad would have come up with!

[geardaddy]

4. She looks like she might be Aboriginal, so maybe she knows what she's doing? n/t

[cab67]

7. I doubt it.

Anyone living in close proximity to large crocodiles (or alligators) knows not to bring a small dog to the water's edge. That's clearly what the crocodile was going after. I'm guessing these were 8 footers (maybe 10 at most), and an adult woman would be too large to be standard prey - but a small to mid-size dog would easily be within normal prey range.

The dog seemed oblivious to the crocodile (see my comment below about crocodiles being stealth predators) - it either didn't see it or didn't realize it could be dangerous.

The smartest thing the woman could have done was to pick up her dog and back away from the water.

[geardaddy]

8. Agreed, that would probably have been best for her to take her dog and go.

[FailureToCommunicate]

5. She probably forgot it's called East Alligator River for a reason.

[cab67]

6. Dangerous and pointless

In general, if you can see a crocodile, it's not a threat. They're ambush predators who attack before they're seen.

It only becomes a threat if you actively provoke it.