Angry crocodile defies rangers

Rangers believe they have caught the crocodile that was stalking fishermen and nudging up to their tinnies in WA's remote north.

The 3.3m reptile was captured in a trap laced with feral donkey bait by Kimberley Land Council Nyul Nyul rangers at Beagle Bay, about 70km north of Broome.

Nicknamed Jimmy, the angry crocodile managed to snap tape wrapped around its jaws and throw its captors into a panic before being pinned down by five men.

The capture is the latest in a series of incidents involving crocodiles.

Last week people were warned to stay out of waters around Broome after several sightings of a large saltwater crocodile near the port and Entrance Point, forcing the closure of nearby Reddell Beach.

One witness estimated the reptile was about 3.9m long.

The Department of Parks and Wildlife said its size was unknown but reports suggested it was large enough to be dangerous.

A 3.2m crocodile - dubbed Burrgukk by Nyul Nyul rangers after the local land name - was caught at Beagle Bay just over a month ago after complaints one had been acting aggressively near a popular swimming and fishing location in the community.

Jimmy and Burrgukk were both sent to Broome Crocodile Park where they will become part of its breeding program.

The Nyul Nyul rangers and the Department of Parks and Wildlife were confident Jimmy was the beast responsible for posing a danger to the public.

Nyul Nyul ranger co-ordinator Mark Rothery said he believed the crocodile was the reptile the team was targeting locally, but people could never be sure.

"It struggled a bit and broke some nose band we put on it, which caused a bit of drama," he said.

Mr Rothery said the trapping was all in a day's work for his team, though local people showed their appreciation.

"The community has expressed gratitude the animal has been caught because a lot of people fish at Beagle Bay."

Despite the latest capture, Mr Rothery said the trap will be re-set.

"We will continue our trapping program and believe there are still six to eight crocodiles within the Beagle Bay creek system," he said.

Department of Parks and Wildlife district officer Peter Carstairs said it was "highly likely" they captured the problem crocodile.

"Any one of the two could easily have been the one but the one most recently caught was a bit darker, which matched descriptions that were given as the troublemaker," he said.

Mr Carstairs said his focus would now shift to Broome to ascertain whether the crocodile sighted last week was resident or transient.

"Depending on what we find within the Broome area, we will deploy traps where we think we will probably catch them," he said.

"We will be looking with spotlights at night to count the number of crocodiles within the area. If there are more than a few or if they are resident crocodiles, we will remove them.

"But if they are transient crocodiles that come from Crab Creek in the south or from the north, we probably won't be able to do much because they will just be moving through the area."