An increase in crocodile sightings in the Kimberley has prompted worried authorities to step up their efforts to stop the salties threatening locals and tourists.
Rangers have redeployed traps near the Fitzroy River in a bid to capture one large crocodile believed to be up to five metres in length after reports of it lurking in the Telegraph Pool area.
The same traps were used on Sunday to catch a 3.6-metre crocodile which had been "harassing people camping at Telegraph Pool".
"He was really big, it took seven of us to capture him," said Nyikina Mangala Ranger Cyril Watson.
"We put a rope around his top jaw and then pulled him out of the cage towards us.
"We then covered his head and lifted his back legs.
"He was pretty heavy."
The crocodile named Payday, weighing about 300 kilograms, was taken to the Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park where he is to be introduced to a female.
But rangers and locals fear there are at least two bigger, more dangerous crocodiles, ranging from four to five metres, that are still roaming the region.
Peter Carstairs, from the Department of Parks and Wildlife, said the same crew that caught Payday were now going for a bigger catch.
"We do know there are some larger ones in the area so we will be continuing to monitor the same spot and also some areas further up stream which contain larger crocodiles where some of the locals do in fact swim," he said.
"We don't want to remove all the crocs from the system.
"We want to conserve the species and only remove the crocs which are deemed to be a problem."
Locals say the crocodile problem has this year been particularly bad.
"I've never seen the beaches closed so many times because of crocs," one Broome local said.
Last month, a 2.8-metre crocodile was shot and killed in the Kimberley according to a spokesperson from DPAW.
"The carcass of the saltwater [estuarine] crocodile destroyed in Lake Kununurra sank to the bottom of a very heavily vegetated part of the lake," the spokesperson said.
"The crocodile's 2.8-metre size and its ability to move quickly made it a considerable threat to people using the lake and the opportunity was taken to destroy it in the interests of public safety.
"Action needed to be taken at the first opportunity as Lake Kununurra is a popular recreation area for water skiers, boaters and swimmers and is also a designated Crocodile Risk Mitigation Area.
"Trapping and relocation was not an option in this case."
