Australian man faces charges after harassing freshwater crocodile

A video appeared on social media that sparked unanimous condemnation from commenters. It shows an anonymous man pulling the tail of a small crocodile. The video was shared online by a woman who filmed this "stunt".

The clip was shot in Australia, probably in the Northern Territory of the continent. The man in a tank top and flip-flops repeatedly teased and disturbed the docile crocodile. In the end, he and his friend gave thumbs up and said, "Welcome to Australia." The most popular comment on this stunt on Instagram was: "Sometimes I’m ashamed to be from Australia."

"Professional croc catcher" Tommy Hayes told the website yahoo.com that the freshwater crocodile posed no threat and was trying to escape. He emphasized: "Poor little guy, he's scared. In the case of freshwater ones, all they want to do is escape." He added: "You're lucky to get close to one of them, so why make it a traumatic experience for him?"

Some commentators on social media claimed that the small crocodile looked stuck between rocks in a stream. Hayes noted that even if that were the case, moving the crocodile should be left to professionals and wildlife officers who know how to do it without causing distress to the animal. He condemned the filmed stunt as "stupid," especially if it was done solely for social media attention.

Animal rights advocate Paul Bowen said that although injuries caused by freshwater crocodiles are rare, they can bite nastily if they feel cornered. Harassing crocodiles in Australia's Northern Territory is also illegal. When the "hero" of the video is identified, he will be in well-deserved trouble with law enforcement. The video quickly made its way to the "bogans" profile on Instagram. Bogan is an Australian derogatory term for a person who is, to put it mildly, unsophisticated and uncomplicated.