A wildlife park employee survived a huge scare when a crocodile he was sat on during a live show bit his leg in front of a horrified crowd.
The incident on September 10 happened at the Crocodile Creek farm in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa.
Handler Sean le Clus was in the middle of a performance with two of the deadly reptiles inside a pit as spectators watched on from above.
A video has gone vital of Sean walking around the animals before sitting astride a 660kg Nile crocodile called Hannibal.
Just before the attack he can be heard saying: "This is the only crocodile in South Africa that I can sit on his back talking."
He goes on to pat the beast and inform the crowd about the "60cm bite area" of Hannibal's "65cm head".
The second crocodile begins to stalk towards le Clus, forcing him to stand up and gain a safer position.
Suddenly, the 4.8-metre Hannibal is seen turning its huge head and clamping its jaws around the left thigh of a defenceless Sean.
The handler is thrown backwards on to the ground and rolls off screen from the force of the vicious attack.
He can be heard apparently screaming in pain while a child behind the camera is heard crying towards the end of the minute-long clip.
A final shot shows Sean stood up after the incident up with his hands on his knees and his head down.
The park confirmed that the handler suffered two big teeth holes as well as bruising, but was back at work only 20 minutes later, reports The South African.
A media statement read: "Sean sewed up the holes himself and came back to work 20 minutes later.”
Although this was not the first incident of a handler being bitten by a crocodile at the park, it was the first time this specific 78-year-old animal had attacked a human in the park.
The park added: “It was because the female was moving in on him, and she is very stroppy.
"So Sean was watching the female, and Hannibal just reminded him that he was there."
Despite the potentially lethal moment, Crocodile Creek noted that all jobs have their risks and if Hannibal had carried out a "proper bite" then it would have been "very bad".
Elsewhere, a swimmer was killed by a crocodile in September after entering a lagoon in Mexico where viewers were watching turtles swim - he reportedly ignored signs warning people not to go in the waters due to the predators.
A video was caught of the animal dragging the lifeless body around in its jaws before it swam off with the victim into the sewers of Tampico city.
