Authorities are investigating whether poachers are hunting crocodiles in north Queensland after a carcass was found with a bait hook and rope in its gut.

Wildlife officers believe the animal, which was discovered on Tuesday in the Ross River in Townsville, was deliberately targeted and killed.

“When wildlife officers attended the scene, they discovered the 2.6m crocodile entangled in the mangroves,” Tony Frisby, a senior wildlife officer with the Department of Environment and Science, said on Thursday.

“When retrieving the animal, the wildlife officers noted a wired rope around four metres long was hanging out of the crocodile’s jaws, and it had been weighted down with a small rock.”

A wired rope was later removed from the animal’s digestive tract.

“Disturbingly, wildlife officers found a large hook attached to the wired rope, and they believe the hook was baited in a deliberate attempt to target and kill the crocodile,” Mr Frisby said.

The rope was set up in a similar way to devices used by poachers.

Wildlife officers are searching the area for other hook devices.

“This is a disgraceful act, and the crocodile would have died a slow, agonising death,” Mr Frisby said.

Crocodiles are considered a vulnerable species and are protected under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992.

It is unlawful to deliberately harm or kill crocodiles or be in possession of a deceased crocodile or parts of a deceased crocodile.

The maximum penalty for the deliberate harm or killing of crocodiles in Queensland is $32,243.

– AAP