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Couple Trapped In Crocodile-Infested Swamp Rescued After Writing "Help" In The Mud

James Felton

James Felton

James Felton

James Felton

Senior Staff Writer

James is a published author with four pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.

Senior Staff Writer

Gallery/Shutterstock

A couple in Australia have been rescued from a swamp filled with crocodiles after writing "help" in the mud like they were in some sort of cartoon.

Shantelle Johnson and her partner Colen Nulgit went on a fishing trip in Keep River National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. They told some friends where they were going and set out for the day, expecting to return that evening, ABC News reports.

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Unfortunately, during the expedition their vehicle got stuck in the mud in a crocodile-infested swamp, ruining the day somewhat. 

The couple, from the East Kimberley town of Kununurra, tried to get the car out of the mud but were unsuccessful.

“We tried digging and we tried putting stuff under the tyres but it didn’t budge,” Johnson told News Australia.

Eventually, they were forced to spend the night in their vehicle while they awaited rescue and their car started to sink further into the marshland. To make things worse, the two had seen "two or three croc tracks" from crocodiles they estimated to be 5 or 6 meters (16-20 feet) long.

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Crocs in the Northern Territory of Australia can be big. This "monster" croc was caught last year along the Katherine River after evading rangers and other authorities for nearly a decade.

"We stayed in the car the first night and then we saw the water rising," Nulgit told ABC News. "We grabbed everything and took it about 20, 30 meters from the car."

The couple hadn't got much food, water, or protection from crocodiles with them, but fortunately, they had told their friends where they would be, and they alerted the authorities. 

The Western Australia police force sent out a search by air and land and was able to find the couple partly because of their idea of writing "help" in the mud and probably partly because their vehicle was nearby.

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The couple also lit spot fires to help the rescue effort find them. Police praised them for informing their friends about their plans beforehand. If they hadn't, they would've had to rely on a passing plane seeing their tiny sign from above.


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