Talk of the town: Is it time for croc warning penalties?

What was more staggering was that the man, who resided in the Northern Territory, filmed himself entering the known croc infested waters, which could have been his very own demise.

Footage surfaced on social media after the attack appearing to show the man wade into the river at the Ayton boat ramp with his dog, Molly, who heroically saved her owner, but was sadly taken by the croc instead.

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The man sustained lower leg injuries and the dog did not survive.

Wildlife officers from the Department of Environment and Science later shot a 4.2 metre crocodile following investigations into the attack at Ayton, 50km south of Cooktown, on February 24.

An autopsy confirmed Molly's remains were found inside the animal.

The attack has prompted calls for tougher penalties for people who ignore warning signs or swim in known crocodile infested waters, not only risking their lives but also the lives of others.

Wildlife conservationist and father of the late Steve Irwin, Bob Irwin, has joined the chorus of people calling for tougher penalties for this type of recklessness.

Mr Irwin has worked with wildlife for more than 50 years and he said that crocodiles always paid the price, when it came to preventable incidents like this.

"You cannot go within 100 metres of a humpback whale in the ocean, feed or make food available to dingoes on K'gari, swim in restricted areas at Babinda Boulders, or be caught feeding cassowaries from your picnic rug at Etty Bay," Mr Irwin told media outlets in late February.

"It is now an offence."

The state's Department of Environment and Science did not receive any complaints or reports of animal cruelty in relation to the Bloomfield incident and no investigations are underway.

A DES spokesperson said its key priority was public safety, and the euthanasia of such a large old crocodile in its natural habitat was unavoidable.

The spokesperson noted "warning signs are not there as decoration and swimming in croc country is a choice".

Since the culling of saltwater crocodiles stopped in 1974, there have been 48 crocodile attacks in the state, causing 16 deaths, but the government stating the rate of non-fatal attacks had been increasing.

The north's crocodile population has bounced back since the animals were protected, with numbers rising to an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 in Queensland.

The croc population has since corrected itself and the rise in population is forcing crocodiles into estuaries and river systems they have never been found in before.

Having grown up in Far North Queensland, I was always told expect crocodiles in all waterways even if there is no warning sign.

Water holes my family used to enjoy to cool off in are now closed to the public, as sightings of salties become more of a regular occurrence.

There have been calls for a cull of crocodiles, though critics say a proposal to remove large crocodiles will result in a "silent cull" and could end up in more attacks.

If your visiting our glorious Far North, you should always remain crocwise at all times. Croc attacks, like what we saw occur in the Bloomfield River, may be easily preventable.

- Ben Harden, North Queensland Register journalist