A 4.9 metre saltwater crocodile has been pulled from a creek feeding into Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park as Northern Territory rangers warn the wet season is pushing crocodiles into places people swim and picnic.
The animal was caught earlier this week near the popular waterfall with NT Parks and Wildlife reporting it has averaged about a crocodile a day in Top End waterways during the first week of 2026.
Sam Hyson, acting director of wildlife operations at NT Parks and Wildlife told that the 4.9 metre crocodile was one of two animals more than 4 metres caught near Wangi Falls just a week into the new year.
Wangi Falls and other natural swimming areas commonly close during the wet season when heavy rain lifts rivers and creeks and increases the chance of crocodiles moving through connected waterways.
The Northern Territory’s Minister for Parks and Wildlife, Marie Clare Boothby stated that more crocodile movement and captures at the beginning of 2026 were a result of the late 2025 rainfall.
The minister linked the conditions to Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina in November which caused dams to overflow and delivered high rainfall totals including record levels at about 15 sites.
Boothby said in a statement that “My message to all people who are looking to swim in natural waterways over the wet season is, if there is water then there could be crocodiles.”
The big capture near Wangi Falls is a reminder of the constant trade off in the Top End between access and safety during peak visitor months when locals and tourists chase waterfalls and swimming holes to escape the build up heat.
According to Neva McCartney, senior executive director at Parks and Wildlife, risk was taken into consideration when making decisions about access.
“Where we can keep swimming areas open safely during the wet season, we do,” McCartney stated. We close when the risk is too great.
NT Parks and Wildlife rangers reported 241 crocodiles were caught across the Territory in 2025, down 30 on 2024 with annual totals previously spiking in 2021 when 322 were taken.
Most captures are concentrated around Darwin’s waterways. The 199 of the 2025 captures were from Darwin Harbour reflecting intensive effort in declared management zones designed to reduce the risk in heavily used areas.
Hyson said operations this year would be bolstered by new purpose built crocodile traps and the agency is working with the NT government’s flora and fauna division and Charles Darwin University on tools such as environmental DNA monitoring and artificial intelligence using underwater cameras to help spot crocodiles earlier.
