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A Melbourne man who was birdwatching on the way home from work got more than he bargained for when he discovered a dead freshwater crocodile in a suburban park in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.
The 1.2 metre crocodile was found in long grass off a track near a small pond at Ruffey Lake Park at Doncaster on Monday afternoon.
Wildlife photographer Andrew Wallis was walking through the park looking for rare birds when he stumbled upon the dead animal.
"I've found a lot of things in wetlands and that was not on my list," he said.
"I could just smell this pungent odour and assumed someone had caught a fish and left it to rot," he said.
"Lo and behold it was a crocodile."
Mr Wallis thinks someone probably released a pet crocodile into a stormwater drain.
"I couldn't imagine someone dropping a dead crocodile there. You'd put it in a bin or bury it," he said.
He found it near a fox burrow and said its feet had been chewed.
Mr Wallis called the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI), who told him to call the Manningham Council.
The council said it only deals with domestic animals, not wildlife, and had to get permission from DEPI before the dead croc could be removed.
Freshwater crocodiles can grow up to three metres in length and generally live in the Northern Territory.
Mr Wallis said the pond where the animal was found was full of rubbish and was not a viable habitat for a crocodile.
"It surprised me that DEPI didn't investigate or find out who is permitted to have a licence [for a crocodile] in that area," he said.
"They had no concern if there are any more down there."
Topics: animals, human-interest, animal-welfare, doncaster-3108
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