Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
National
Gabrielle Lyons

'No snappy endings' assured despite crocs crawling into city sewers

This saltie has chosen to rest up at the Leanyer sewage pond.

Green tree frogs and red-back spiders may occasionally call your toilet home, but have you ever wondered what else might lurk underneath the seat?

With the dry season, crocodiles search for a home outside of major swimming holes, and Darwin's sewerage system appears to be quite inviting.

Skefos Tsoukalis from Power and Water said the reptiles had been sneaking into the system for at least a decade.

"I have seen a croc sunbathing at our Katherine sewage pond.

"We do have crocodile traps in all of our ponds and we are working [with Parks and Wildlife] to remove them from our systems."

Mr Tsoukalis was pretty relaxed about the situation — at least it's nothing like the plot of Hollywood movie Alligator.

The 1980s flick involved the title character surviving in the sewers of Chicago by eating discarded lab rats pumped with growth hormones.

"Although I did watch that film when I was growing up, here the crocodiles are crawling up through our [pond] fence or through our outfall which discharges into the mangroves," he said.

"We don't have CCTV cameras in our pipes so we cannot accurately detect when they come in."

Is it safe to lift the seat?

Mr Tsoukalis said Power and Water managed the problem as best it could.

"Our number-one priority is safety, safety for our team members and obviously for the public.

"There will be no snappy endings in your toilets.

"Because of the size of the pipework, and we have infrastructure that separates our treatment facilities from the ponds, it's very difficult for them to swim upstream."

Mr Tsoukalis said he would not be adding croc wrangler to his CV anytime soon, but explained that even the sewerage system provided a diverse ecosystem for local species.

"There are fish in our sewage ponds — and birds, these systems are like a food bowl for wildlife."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.