• Small crocodile spotted 2,000 km from its natural habitat
• Rescue teams capture rare reptile after initial doubts

In the coastal city of Newcastle, southern Australia, a rare incident occurred when a small crocodile was spotted in a creek nearly 2,000 kilometers south of its usual tropical northern habitat.

Stephanie Kirsop said she didn’t believe her son when he called to report a crocodile near their home. Her son, Lionel Saunders, and his friends had seen the roughly one-meter-long reptile on Saturday.

Despite initial skepticism from authorities, rescue teams managed to capture the rare crocodile by Sunday evening.

“My son took videos to convince me it was real. I thought it was just a floating log, but when I arrived, I realized it was indeed a crocodile,” Kirsop said.

The crocodile was swimming in a creek where local children fish and occasionally swim. After confirming its presence, Kirsop contacted a wildlife rescue service, which initially stated no crocodiles lived in the area. She sent her own photos and videos as proof.

The report was forwarded to the Australian Reptile Park, which keeps crocodiles in temperature-controlled environments.

Park manager Billy Collett said he initially suspected the images might be AI-generated, but police confirmed the crocodile was indeed in Ironbark Creek.

The crocodile was identified as an Australian freshwater crocodile, a smaller and less dangerous species than saltwater crocodiles, though still capable of causing serious injury.