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If you go in swimming at 10 o’clock at night, you’re going to get consumed

Entsch warned against a “crocodile backlash,” adding: “You can’t legislate against human stupidity.”

“Let’s not start vendettas,” he said. “People have to have some level of responsibility for their own actions.”

Mitchell, from New Zealand, who had recently undergone chemotherapy for cancer, was taken to hospital after suffering wounds to her arm as she tried to pull the victim from the jaws of the crocodile.

“She tried to grab her and drag her to safety,” Russell Parker, a police constable, told ABC News. “They had been walking along the beach and they’ve decided to go for a swim just in waist-deep water and (it was) probably a very nice, clear night, but obviously (they) may not have been aware of the dangers.”

He added: “Her friend tried valiantly to drag her to the shore, but unfortunately wasn’t able to do so — and the woman subsequently disappeared.”

The area, north of the tropical city of Cairns, is known for its crocodile population. Crocodile-spotting tours take place near Thornton beach.

Although crocodiles normally inhabit rivers and marshes, they also venture into the sea. “Cairns and up into Cape (Tribulation) is known for its large crocodiles,” said Neil Noble, of the state ambulance service. “Certainly one has to be very careful around our waterways.”

Crocodiles kill an average of two people in Australia every year. Their numbers have increased since they were given protected status in 1971, with Northern Territory’s crocodile population believed to exceed 100,000.