SYDNEY, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- A large crocodile that had outworn its welcome among increasingly anxious residents of Australia's tropical far north has been caught and is awaiting its new home.
The 3.8-metre mature male was carefully removed from the Herbert River in Queensland and transported to the city of Townsville earlier this week, to ultimately join one of the state's crocodile farms or zoos.
Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) wildlife officers said the "saltie" -- which is what locals call the saltwater variety of the world's largest living reptile -- had become a "problem" in recent weeks having twice approached people along the riverbank.
"Salties can be very aggressive, much more so than the freshwater variety which are generally more docile," DES wildlife operations manager Mike Joyce told Xinhua on Tuesday.
"So we start to become concerned when they grow to beyond about two-metres in length and they happen to be living in close contact with people. That's when we're likely to send in the trappers."
In this case, Joyce said there was a three-person team who monitored the crocodile for a few days before setting a trap using a wild pig as bait.
Joyce, meanwhile, told potential visitors to Queensland's "croc country" to closely follow safety measures including never leaving food, fish scraps or bait near the water's edge, camp sites or boat ramps and to avoid using canoes and kayaks in the saltie-infested waters.
"Crocodiles are fascinating creatures," said Joyce, who has been working closely with the predators for about 25 years. "But you need to be wary when you're in their territory because crocodiles are amazingly good at camouflaging themselves in the water."
"If you're in this part of Australia and the water is brackish, then there's a pretty good chance there'll be crocs around...so be warned." ■