By ROD McGUIRK
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Stephanie Kirsop didn’t believe her son when he called to say a crocodile was lurking in a creek near their home.
The family live in the temperate coastal city of Newcastle, which is 1,200 miles south of Australia’s crocodile habitat in the tropical north.
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“My son took videos because he was trying to convince me it was real and I didn’t believe him. It did look like a crocodile but I was like, no it’s a log,” Kirsop said Tuesday.
“He rang me back a little bit later and he’s like: ‘I’m so serious mom. You have to come down here and have a look,’” Kirsop said. “The whole drive down there I’m thinking this is going to be a trick. They’re going to laugh at me.”
She was in no doubt it was a crocodile when she arrived.
“There is a little crocodile just swimming around in the creek where local kids go to fish and sometimes kids swim in there. Wow,” Kirsop said.
She called a wildlife rescue service and was told crocodiles don’t live in the area. Kirsop sent her own photos and video as proof.
Kirsop was referred to the Australian Reptile Park, which keeps its own crocodiles in a temperature-controlled environment.
Park manager Billy Collett said he suspected the images might have been artificial intelligence-generated fakes. But police confirmed there was a croc in Ironbark Creek.
“I was a bit suspicious because we get a lot of phone calls. These days with AI, it’s just so crazy,” Collett said.
In this photo provided by Australian Reptile Park, its manager Billy Collett holds a freshwater crocodile caught in a creek near Newcastle, Australia, Monday, March 2, 2026. (Chloe Burgess-Jones/Australian Reptile Park via AP) In this photo provided by Australian Reptile Park, its manager Billy Collett reacts as holds a freshwater crocodile caught in Ironbark Creek near Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, March 1, 2026 (Brandon Gifford/Australian Reptile Park via AP) In this photo provided by Australian Reptile Park, its manager Billy Collett holds a freshwater crocodile caught in a creek near Newcastle, aAustralia, Monday, March 2, 2026. (Chloe Burgess-Jones/Australian Reptile Park via AP) Show Caption1 of 3In this photo provided by Australian Reptile Park, its manager Billy Collett holds a freshwater crocodile caught in a creek near Newcastle, Australia, Monday, March 2, 2026. (Chloe Burgess-Jones/Australian Reptile Park via AP) ExpandHe recognized it was an Australian freshwater crocodile, or crocodylus johnstoni, a smaller and less dangerous species than saltwater crocodiles.
“They’re capable of inflicting a serious injury,” Collett said of the smaller species.
Collett’s team caught the croc Sunday night 2 miles from where it was first spotted.
“I just wanted to get him out of there because he would’ve perished in winter,” Collett said. It is autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
The croc is healthy and will stay at the park until authorities decide where it should go permanently, Collett said. Crocs are protected under Australian law.
He suspects the croc was a pet that had been released into the wild after growing too big for a fish tank or too dangerous.
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