Dog owners in suburban Cairns have been confronted with a terrifying sign at a local off-leash park.
Crocodile warning signs were erected in the Irene Street dog park in Mooroobool, after an animal was injured while swimming in a flooded drain on Saturday.
Despite the dog-owner not actually reporting a crocodile sighting to the Department of Environment and Science, signs warning of the monster reptiles potentially being in the area were erected as a precaution.
In a statement, DES said wildlife officers had carried out a site inspection, but did not find “any evidence of a crocodile being present.”
“Dogs should be on a lead in a known crocodile habitat,” the spokesperson said.
The frightening development comes a week after a three-metre crocodile was spotted in the Tinaroo Falls Dam on the Atherton Tablelands – about a 90 minute drive south.
“Wildlife officers carried out a site assessment but did not observe any crocodiles,” a DES spokesperson said.
“The Tinaroo Falls Dam contains a healthy population of freshwater crocodiles but DES has never found any evidence of saltwater crocodiles being present in the dam.”
The spokesperson said it was a timely reminder that members of the public were responsible for their own safety in croc country.
“Dogs should be on a lead in known crocodile habitat,” the spokesperson said.
