Overview

• Big John, a five-metre saltwater crocodile monitored by Gunggandji-Mandingalbay Yidinji Rangers for over four years, was found decapitated and entangled in a fishing net in Yarrabah Bay on July 30.
• The Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation has opened a formal inquiry under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act and invited anonymous tips via hotline or online complaint form.
• Under state law, possession of crocodile body parts without a permit carries fines up to $37,552, making the probe subject to significant legal penalties.
• A Gunggandji Aboriginal Corporation spokeswoman confirmed the net was still in active use, dispelling suggestions that it was an abandoned 'ghost net.'
• Indigenous custodians and local residents have expressed grief and proposed tributes—including statues and a children’s book—to celebrate Big John’s role as a cultural guardian.