When floods ravage the northeastern Australian state of Queensland (at the same time that fires are clobbering Victoria), sweeping crocodiles and venomous snakes into residential areas, local residents worry about the well-being of the crocodiles — even when one snatches a five-year-old boy:

A five-year-old boy was snatched by a four-metre-long crocodile while out walking on Sunday and is feared dead. … Several other crocodiles were spotted around the Gulf of Carpentaria late last week, and one was run over by a car in the city of Townsville.

Local residents aren’t taking their frustration out on the reptiles, though. The injured crocodile is being nursed back to health after suffering cuts and bruises, while the parents of five-year-old Jeremy Doble have asked authorities not to harm crocodiles caught in traps near where their son disappeared.

Wow. Just, wow.