A 60-year-old man who was trying to retrieve a fishing lure which had become stuck in a tree branch has been attacked by a crocodile in north Queensland.
The man was fishing on the banks of the Mcivor River near Hope Vale, north of Cooktown, when the incident happened.
Luckily, he survived the encounter and is now in hospital in a stable condition after being bitten on the leg
The ABC reports that the man was trying to free the lure when the crocodile attacked and tried to drag him in to the water. The man was able to grip onto a tree branch, reach for his knife and stabbed the reptile, which then let him go.
He was driven to Cooktown Hospital and later flown to Cairns Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, where he underwent surgery.
The incident is certainly a reminder of the need for grey nomads – and everybody else – to be extremely cautious when in ‘crocodile country’.
There have been several crocodile attacks in Queensland recent times.
In August, two soldiers were severely injured after being attacked by a 2.5-metre crocodile north of Lockhart River.
And, back in February, a 60-year-old man who had been sailing in his 2.5-metre dinghy died after being attacked on the north-western side of Hinchinbrook Island.
Maybe its time to start culling again.
Definitely Rob. But you know the “who’s” that ban anything sensible. A bit like the folks getting taken by those “big fish” of our coast very often these days eh.