A freshwater crocodile has been captured in a Newcastle park after an operation involving reptile experts, NSW police and the SES, and is likely an illegal pet abandoned in the suburban waterway.
The crocodile is in “great health” on Monday after being assessed by a vet team at the Australian Reptile Park on the Central Coast, with work underway to find it a permanent home.
It was spotted near Newcastle in a waterway at Federal Park, in suburban Wallsend on Saturday afternoon. NSW Police set up a perimeter to keep onlookers away as reptile specialists attempted to capture the animal throughout the evening, with assistance from the SES.
The female freshwater crocodile was eventually caught on Sunday.
“Freshwater crocodiles don’t belong in this part of the country,” Australian Reptile Park manager Billy Collett said.
“Our priority was making sure the community was safe and that the animal was handled properly and humanely.”
The crocodile could be up to 10 years old, the reptile park said in a statement.
Newcastle councillor Elizabeth Adamczyk said the crocodile may have been abandoned.
“Wildlife experts on site have said that the croc appears to have been a pet because it is acting in a scared manner,” she said in an update on social media on Sunday.
Freshwater crocodiles are considered less dangerous than saltwater crocodiles, which are larger, more aggressive and territorial.
Both types of crocodile are typically only found in far northern regions of Australia and NSW is not within their natural range.
It is illegal to keep either species as pets, outside the Northern Territory and Victoria, which both require advanced permits and permissions.
Australian researchers in 2025 warned that animals located outside their native range represent an overlooked biosecurity threat, with risks including animals transported as part of the domestic pet trade escaping or being released into the wild and potentially establishing alien populations.
In February, NSW Police discovered a 1.3 metre saltwater crocodile along with dozens of snakes, lizards and other animals when officers raided a property near Kempsey in relation to drug supply investigations.
Later that month Sydney man Neil Simpson, 61, received a record jail sentence of eight years, with a non-parole period of five years and four months, for unrelated attempts to export Australian reptiles overseas over several years.
Meanwhile, NSW Police removed what is believed to be a shark carcass from a suburban Sydney street on Monday morning.
“Interesting call this morning about a shark sighting – 20km inland,” The Hills police area command said on Facebook.
The carcass was found on a roundabout on Fairway Drive, Kellyville. It remains unclear how it got there.
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Jack Gramenz is a breaking news reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.