Wildlife rangers in the Top End have caught their first crocodile of the year in a creek where children were swimming the day before.
The 2.7-metre female saltwater reptile was caught in a trap in a Darwin rural area on New Year's Day by the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife croc unit.
Veteran ranger Tom Nichols told AAP on Friday "kids swim in that area".
Children were reportedly in the water there on New Year's Eve.
A member of the public alerted Parks and Wildlife on Thursday of a croc in a trap that had been set with pig bait on the creek, Mr Nichols said.
He and another ranger followed normal procedure, putting a snout rope over the croc's top jaw, then a zip tie going round before pulling the reptile from the trap and tying it up with duct tape
"We never release saltwater crocs, they go to a croc farm," he said.
In response to a Parks and Wildlife Facebook post on the croc capture, one user posted: "Tommy still catching the handbags".
Being the wet season in the Top End, with water spreading everywhere, crocodiles were more active and could be present in any waterway, said Mr Nichols, who has been with Parks and Wildlife for more than 45 years.
In 2025 the croc unit captured 202 reptiles that may have posed a threat to people.
Parks and Wildlife is urging residents and visitors in the Top End to "be crocwise" and parents to talk with their children about the risks around water of the ambush predators.
“With the hot weather and plenty of water around, it’s understandable that swimming or fishing near the water’s edge can be tempting,” the service said on its Facebook page.
It advises people to stay five metres away from the water at all times.
