A man has managed to free himself from the jaws of a large crocodile in far north Queensland.
The 37-year old was attempting to enter the Bloomfield River from a boat ramp with his dog when the crocodile lunged forward.
The crocodile bit the man’s leg and dragged the dog into the water at Ayton, 50km south of Cooktown, according to the Queensland Department of Science and Environment.
The man, who suffered multiple wounds to his lower leg, was airlifted from Wujal Clinic to Cairns hospital, where he was in a stable condition on Thursday afternoon.
The status of the dog was unknown, the department said.
The Bloomfield River is “well-known croc country”, the department said, advising people in the area to expect crocodiles in all Wujal waterways.
“This is the first crocodile attack on a human in Queensland since November 2021, when a man was attacked at the McIvor River, 50km north of Cooktown,” the department said in a statement.
Wildlife officers from Cairns were travelling to Ayton on Thursday afternoon where they will attempt to remove the crocodile.
The department said they are liaising with the Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council and the Queensland police service to gather information to assist with the ongoing response.
Joshua Paterson, general manager of the Jabalbina Aboriginal Corporation, told the ABC one of his rangers happened to be in the vicinity soon after the incident.
“He told my ranger he’d been attacked by a large crocodile after taking his dog down to the water’s edge for a drink,” Paterson said.
“The crocodile grabbed him by the leg and he was able to get himself out of the croc’s mouth and crawled up on to the ramp.
“He flagged down the ranger, who provided aid and then contacted emergency services.
“She was pretty shocked by the ordeal at the time. The man has significant wounds to his legs.”
The ABC reports the dog was not hurt.
