www.sundayterritorian.com.au Sunday, July 7, 2013. Sunday Territorian. 5

PU

B:

NTNE-WS-DA-TE:7-JUGE:5 CO-LO-R: C-M Y-K

www.forkliftsolutions.com.au

Salesyard at:20 Casey Rd, East Arm 8947 3490

Michael Stalas

����:'�)RUNOLIWV

���7HOHKDQGOHUV�

���1HZ��8VHG

���([�GHPR

���'LHVHO

���/3*

���(OHFWULF

s�3ALES

s�(IRE

s�3ERVICE������

sundayterritorian.com.au NEWS

Fisho’s backbiting crocBy SARAH CRAWFORD

I said tomy friend, ‘I

think I have just

been bitten by a croc’

The puncture wounds inDenby Baker’s back after hewas attacked by a croc

Picture: TYNAN BARTOLO

AN ATHLETIC crocodilelaunched itself two metres inthe air and bit a fisho on theback while he was fishing ona remote Top End river.

Fisherman Denby Baker, ofDarwin, said it felt like he hadbeen punched in the backwhen the 3m croc leaped fromthe water and bit him leavingsix puncture marks.

‘‘He must have been prettyhungry if he was trying tograb a 90kg person off a boat,’’Mr Baker said.

‘‘But he bit off more than hecould chew.’’

It is the second report of ag-

gressive crocs on the DalyRiver in the past two months.

Last Friday a grandfatherwas stalked by a hissing 4mcrocodile on the Daly River.

Mr Baker said he was fish-ing with a mate on the DalyRiver at the mouth of CatfishCreek two nights before theBarra Classic in May when hewas attacked.

‘‘We were just hanging outhaving a couple of stubbiesand I was resting my bum onthe side of the boat when Iheard a big splash,’’ he said.

‘‘I said to my friend, ‘I thinkI have just been bitten by acroc,’ and he said, ‘how manybeers have you had?’’’

For the record Mr Bakerhad only had two beers.

Mr Baker said the crocodilethen stalked them, floating offthe back of the boat, so theymoved to another spot.

‘‘I have been fishing therefor four or five years and Ihave never had an experiencelike that before.’’

Mr Baker said he was avery dark crocodile that youwould expect in a billabong,not in a river. He speculatedthe poor wet season meantcrocodiles from dried up bil-labongs were moving into therivers in search of food.

An initial report was thatMr Baker was bitten on the

bum. Adrian Koenen ownerof Woolianna on the Dalytourist park said he wastold a fisho, ‘‘got nippedon the arse’’.

But Mr Baker denied this.‘‘No it was halfway up my

back,’’ he said.A mean feat for the croco-

dile considering Mr Baker is170cm tall and the boat sits ametre out of the water.

A second fisherman had aclose encounter with an evenbigger croc last Friday.

The fisherman, who wishednot to be named, said he wasstalked by the crocodile at themouth of No Fish Creek.

‘‘He was hissing and carry-

ing on, I could see the glow ofits eyes in the dark.’’

The fisherman shone atorch and a spotlight on thecroc but it came closer, with-in a metre of the boat.

It was only after he startedhitting his ‘‘croc knocker’’ (ametal pole) on the side of theboat that it swam away.

Kate hatsup in trueCup style

Kate Boyd was one of many punters who dressed up and turned out for Guineas Day Picture: DANIEL HARTLEY-ALLEN

By MEAGAN DILLON

KATE Boyd isn’t much of agambler, she has bad luck.

But for her, the Darwin CupCarnival is about gettingdressed up, socialising withfriends and watching otherstake the punt.

‘‘No matter what, I alwayslose,’’ the 20-year-old said.

But her friend Holly Marie,17, said they decided to go toGuineas Day yesterday toembroil themselves in a funand colourful atmosphere.

‘‘It’s good here — eventful,’’she said.

Hundreds turned out at theDarwin Turf Club in FannieBay for the first of eight meetsover July and August.

Horse trainers, owners, joc-keys and punters alike wereenjoying the action.

Experienced jockey ScottHillebrand had a good win onSpartan Eagle, getting hugsand kisses from family andfriends as he left the track.

The next meet will be onSaturday. The carnival —which has been running for57 years — attracted about44,000 racegoers last year andinjected about $50 millioninto the Territory economy.

It will feature 125 horsesfrom Queensland, Victoria,South Australia and WesternAustralia.

Dead whale in creekA THIRD killer whale carcasshas been found by wildliferangers at Fraser Island,off the southern Queens-land coast.

The whale was discoveredon Friday in a creek north ofKingfisher Bay on the islandby Queensland Parks andWildlife Service staff.

The discovery comes twodays after two whales, be-lieved to be a mother and calf,died on Wednesday whentheir pod became stranded ona sandbar in the Great SandyStrait which separates the is-land from the mainland.

It’s believed the whale dis-covered on Friday, whichmeasures 7m, had been deadfor at least 24 hours.

Sea World animal care

supervisor Tacha Mulligansays it’s unclear why thewhales died, although anunderlying health problemcould be to blame.

‘‘The necropsy performedyesterday on an adult femalethat died on Wednesdayshowed it had no food it itsstomach and had very littlemilk in its mammary glandseven though it had a youngcalf with it,’’Ms Mulligan saidin a statement.

‘‘It gives us concern thatthree animals have died insuch a short space of time andwe will continue to monitorthe killer whale’s behaviour.’’

The remaining nine mem-bers of the pod were beingmonitored but none appearedto be in any distress, she said.