Parks Australia says it is investigating a mysterious incident that it won’t provide details of, which sparked a search and rescue operation in Kakadu National Park on Sunday, while one source has told the NT Independent the incident involved an accidental shooting during an illegal safari hunt.
While NT Police refused to comment, Parks Australia communications manager Chris Smyth said in a statement that no one was shot, but that Parks staff were investigating what occurred.
“Kakadu National Park staff assisted in a search and rescue operation on Sunday, 6 November 2022, in an isolated area of the national park,” he said.
“Reports that an individual was shot are not correct, however we understand that three persons received medical treatment at NT Health facilities.
But a well-placed source said two men from Adelaide were allegedly safari-hunting clients of a Corrobaree man who was running an illegal hunt and that police had used helicopters to locate them.
“Locals were angry because the health clinic was closed for several hours to others while they treated this person,” the source said.
When contacted, the man alleged to be running the illegal hunt said no one was shot, that he was not in Kakadu, was not taking clients on an illegal hunt, and that the source of the information was “pissing in the pocket” of the NT Independent.
“No comment. Don’t call me again. Fuck off. Bye,” he said.
NT Police have not responded to questions including why they did not make the alleged shooting public, and if there were any charges laid, or if they were investigating what happened.
It is not the first time NT Police have kept search and rescue in Kakadu secret, with Parks Australia formally confirming earlier this year that former NT Police Acting Superintendent Renae McGarvie was fined, along with three others, for entering a closed part of Kakadu National Park and requiring a helicopter rescue in January.
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