This was an auto accident with a difference. A 6.5-foot saltwater crocodile leapt out of a roadside culvert and slammed into the side of a passing car, authorities said Thursday.

An animal welfare group Wednesday took aim at a proposal to allow well-heeled tourists to hunt huge crocodiles in northern Australia, branding the plan cruel. Currently, the saltwater crocodiles are a protected species, although 600 are legally killed by licensed hunters each year for their skins.