NT kids mourn monster croc

A huge three-legged crocodile has been killed and paraded around a rural Northern Territory town, saddening local children who had nicknamed the beast "Mr Boombastic".

The saltwater croc had been sighted near the town of Borroloola several times over the past few years, according to a staff member at the local school.

"The kids are all used to being around crocodiles," said Noela Anderson, home liason officer for the Borroloola Community Education Centre.

"They used to always see it lying in the river and they would leave little pieces of food for it at the shore."

Mr Boombastic, who was believed to be close to 70 years old, was deemed a "problem croc" by NT Parks and Wildlife after being spotted next to a boat ramp.

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The rangers attempted to catch it with a harpoon but failed due to the croc's massive size, and in the end it was shot in the head.

After the croc was killed it was strapped to the back of a trailer and driven around the small town, including past the school.

"The children were sad, but mostly they were just surprised at how big he had gotten," said Ms Anderson.

"They had never actually seen him so close. Because we've got the river you just don't put yourself in a position to be eaten.

"A crocodile smells like really off fish, and when they smell that, they know to get back inside."

Darwin Croc Farm spokesman Mick Burns said the crocodile would have posed a serious threat to humans even though it only had three legs.

"It might have been a bit slower on land but in the water it would have been almost as fast as any croc," Mr Burns said.

"If the reports are correct that it was five-and-a-half metres then it was definitely a huge croc, not many get that big."

Mr Burns said Mr Boombastic would have lost its leg in a fight with another crocodile.

"Because of the aggressive and territorial nature of crocodiles it's very common for them to have missing limbs," he said.