Recent news of a girl from Indonesia getting swallowed by a crocodile shocked the world as the predator once again proved what they are capable of. With Australia having their share of crocodile attacks, people are wondering if the country could face a similar dreadful event as well.

In Indonesia, the 10-year old girl was swallowed by a wild crocodile while she was playing in the Wailolong River with her father. The crocodile reportedly appeared suddenly, swallowed the little girl, then diasappeared back into the water, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Though no reports have been made as to the capture of the crocodile, it is believed that the vicious creature could have a similar fate to that of the croc that ate a teenager in one of the provinces of Indonesia, Pekanaru, just this year - which was killed and cut open to find the body of the victim.

The troubling news of the little girl getting swallowed made its way to Australia where crocodiles pose a similar threat. And though the country has had its share of deaths from crocodile encounters, the odds of an attack from the predator are relatively small; on average, only one person a year is killed by crocs, compared to three persons yearly dying from bee stings, or to thousands from smoking and car accident, according to AmazingAustralia.com.au.

In fact, crocodile attacks is not really that common in Australia as according to the data of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which spanned from 1971 to 2005, croc attacks occur approximately three to four times every five years, while fatal attacks occur only once every five years.

Part of the reason why there is only a small number of incidents of crocodile attacks in the country is because of stringent efforts concerning the reptiles. Efforts like that of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, which not only protects the crocs but protects humans as well by carrying out research on the reptile's numbers, distribution, and movement patterns.

Efforts in the Northern Territory also prove to be life-saving as crocs from the Darwin Harbour are removed annually by wildlife rangers to improve public safety, reported the IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group.

But none the less, attacks from these massive creatures still pose a threat. That being said, according to the Outback Australia Travel Guide, there are some ways to avoid being a victim to its jaws: look for crocodile warning signs, make sure that the body of water is free of crocs, steer clear from the water's edge, never return to the same exact spot in the water every day, not to leave food scraps or scrape fish near the water, and avoid places where wild animals drink.