Lifesaving deadly paradise?
Irukandji © Jack Barnes
‘The nets around our swimming areas don’t stop the irukandji,’ Jay March says. ‘But they’re only around in certain weather conditions and we’ll do our best to monitor that. Soon as we find the animals, we’ll shut the beach for 24 hours, have a drag of the net and clear it out, then we’ll open the beach again. ‘If people are going into the water, they should be wearing their PPE—or their stinger suits,’ March says. ‘It’s the only way to be certain of protecting yourself from something that’s almost invisible.’
Crocodiles
While the saltwater crocodile may be the most fearsome-looking of our tropical trio, it is actually responsible for the fewest deaths, at least on beaches. ‘There hasn’t been a fatal crocodile attack on Darwin Harbour beaches for more than 120 years,’ Surf Lifesaving Northern Territory CEO Tony Snelling says. ‘I’m aware of three non-fatal attacks in the past 35 years; they’re very, very rare. And of those three that I’m aware of, at least one, probably two of them, were people actually provoking the crocodile.’ Crocodiles are strictly a problem in the Northern Territory’s wet season, or over the traditional summer months, when they become more active as the water warms up. They start to migrate, looking for mates and nesting sites. To keep the public safe, Surf Lifesaving Northern Territory has, working with the local wildlife rescue organisation, set up about 30 crocodile traps around Darwin Harbour. The traps are designed to catch wayward crocs that may have stumbled into the harbour area, says Snelling.
Irukandji Jellyfish
It’s only about the size of a five-cent coin, but the irukandji jellyfish has venom that is 100 times more potent than a king cobra’s, and 1,000 times more than a tarantula’s. Only two deaths are recorded as a direct result of envenomation by the irukandji, but a sting will leave most people hospitalised with ‘irukandji syndrome’: symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sweating, headaches, agitation, a rapid heart rate, and high blood pressure. The jellyfish is named after the indigenous Irukandji people of Palm Cove, 27 km north of Cairns. They knew of an invisible danger lurking in their waters, but could never find a culprit. Sometimes people don’t even know they’ve been stung until the symptoms of irukandji syndrome begin to show up. ‘The immediate sting is mild,’ Dr Seymour says. ‘Most people liken it to sea lice. But after 20 minutes, because there’s a delay in the system, everything goes wrong.’ He says people will start experiencing the symptoms mentioned above, but are unlikely to die from the sting. ‘There’s only been two deaths from that animal around the world,’ he says. ‘One from the Whitsundays, and one from Cairns. The majority of people that are stung by the irukandji are just going to be in pain for 24 hours and get a trip to the hospital.’ The last person to die from an irukandji jellyfish sting was 44-year-old American tourist Robert King in 2002. For most of the time, the irukandji jellyfish live in deep water; they come closer to shore only in certain weather conditions, such as after a northerly wind, and occasionally during monsoon season. 42 Australian Lifeguard Magazine 10 th edition
‘It’s like a long tube of metal mesh or grip; a bit like a security grill on a front door,’ he says. ‘One end of the tube is sealed off. There’s bait hanging from the roof of the trap—usually a pig’s head or a sheep’s leg. And at the other end, there is a sliding gate that’s pulled up and held in place by a mechanism connected to the bait. So a croc Facts can swim into the trap, pull down on the bait and Name: Irukandji jellyfish that door will shut on the other end.’ Distribution: Tropical Australian When one is caught, Parks and Wildlife is alerted waters and the animal is sent off to a crocodile farm. Signs and Symptoms: Initial minor sting that may show ‘goose pimples’; localised sweating or itching feeling. The sting is followed by a characteristic time delay of 5–40 minutes (usually 25–30 minutes). After the delay, the patient may experience backache, muscle cramps, nausea, headache and anxiety, a sense of impending doom, and sometimes a red rash around the affected area. Treatment: Observe the patient’s airway, breathing and level of consciousness. Send for medical aid urgently, and rest and reassure the patient. Flood the stung area with vinegar for at least 30 seconds.
Not all crocs are caught with a trap, and lifeguards have come across some sunbathing on beaches. These animals are often in transit, Snelling says.
Saltwater crocodile
‘Most crocodiles that end up on a beach are either resting, sick, or exhausted,’ he says. ‘They’re more than likely trying to swim to harbours and estuaries—places that are suitable for them to live in.’
Crocodile Quick Facts Australia is home to two species of crocodile, the freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni), which is found nowhere else in the world, and the vulnerable estuarine or saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). In spite of their common names, both species can live in fresh or salt water.
The region’s lifeguards have protocols in place to deal with any crocodiles that may be spotted. ‘We’ll close the beach immediately,’ Snelling says. ‘Then we’ll keep the animal under as close an observation as possible. We’ll call Parks and Wildlife, and they’ll act to keep it under control— they have ways of catching and moving the crocodile.’ In one recent incident, a crocodile was discovered on Darwin’s Mindil Beach. ‘That one resisted all attempts to move,’ Snelling recalls. ‘We used the ATV to try and intimidate it a bit with the siren, the horn, revving the motor, anything to try and frighten it and move it on. But he just would not move. Crocs are a bit like that—they have minds of their own and they’re sometimes a bit impervious to what you and I would regard as a threat.’ Despite the occasional sighting, Snelling reminds beachgoers that there has not been a death caused by a crocodile on Darwin’s beaches in well over a century.
there has not been a death caused by a crocodile on Darwin’s beaches in well over a century
• Modern crocodiles have been around for about 100 million years, and their ancestors first appeared about 240 million years ago. • Crocodiles can live for up to 70 years and can grow to between 4 and 5 m. • Baby crocs start out weighing just 60 g, but the largest adult males can reach close to 1,000 kg. • The average density of crocodiles across tropical Australian rivers is five crocs per kilometre, but the Mary River in the Northern Territory can average as many as 20 crocs per kilometre. • Crocodiles have 68 fearsome teeth in their jaws that replenish constantly if broken off. A large croc can exert more than 2 tonnes of pressure with its bite. • Crocodiles can swim as fast as 10 km/h and can run over open ground at up to 11 km/h for short bursts.
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