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He's one for the folks who think Buff are not dangerous.

Buffalo kills man

May 26, 2005
A ROGUE buffalo had killed a man in the remote Northern Territory town of Nhulunbuy, police said today.

The body of the 46-year-old man was found in scrubland on the town's outskirts on Monday, Nhulunbuy police said today.

Rogue buffaloes have been running amok in the town in recent weeks, with one causing an bus accident which injured nine people in the town earlier this month.

Police and rangers have tried to hunt some of the more temperamental animals in scrub near the town's lagoon following a spate of incidents.

Nhulunbuy police officer in charge Tony Fuller said it appeared the dead man was killed by the beast about midday on Sunday.

"This is a tragic incident for the family but unfortunately occasionally incidents like these are bound to happen when we have a high concentration of people living in a remote area that is surrounded by natural dangers such as buffaloes, crocodiles, and the like," Senior Sergeant Fuller said.

"It is a risk that people acknowledge and one we try to limit and can not necessarily control as we enjoy our outdoor lifestyle.

"Buffaloes are not normally aggressive, and shy away from human contact, however if startled they can become aggressive and charge people."

The man's family reported him missing on Sunday afternoon, after he left his house at East Woody Community to check the water supply line to his house.

His family became concerned after his two dogs returned later without him, sparking a police search which was hampered by a bushfire and thick scrub.

The body was found on Monday, but had been burnt in the bushfire, hindering the police investigation, senior sgt Fuller said.

NT major crime and forensic police flew to Nhulunbuy to help with the investigation, he said.

Local Parks and Wildlife Officer Phil Wise warned the public to avoid walking at dusk and dawn in the bush, when buffaloes were most active.

"Buffaloes are unpredictable in nature," he said.

Other incidents involving BUFFALOES in recent weeks include a beast charging a number of people at East Woody community and forcing them to hide behind trees.

In April, two separate vehicles collided with buffaloes.

The last recorded fatal buffalo attack in Nhulunbuy was in April 1993.

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