KEY POINTS

  • The man was casting his fishing line when the crocodile lunged at him
  • The victim stabbed the reptile in its head repeatedly until it let go of him
  • The man then drove himself to a local hospital

A man in Australia escaped the jaws of a crocodile that was dragging him into a river by stabbing it in the head with a pocket knife.

The 60-year-old man had been fishing on his property on the banks of a remote part of the McIvor River in Cape York, Queensland, when he was attacked by the aquatic reptile on Nov. 3.

The victim saw a bull standing on the part of the river bank from where he wanted to fish, and shooed it away. As he prepared to cast his line, a crocodile lunged out of the water and knocked him over. The crocodile then grabbed the man’s booted foot and started dragging him toward the water bank.

In an attempt to get away from the reptile, the man grabbed a mangrove tree branch and held on. But, he lost his grip as the crocodile yanked him away. The man then grabbed his pocket knife and repeatedly stabbed the reptile in its head before he went into the water.

"The man said that as he entered the water, he managed to retrieve his knife from his belt and stabbed the crocodile in its head until it let him go," the Queensland Department of Environment and Science said in a statement, according to ABC News.

Eventually, the crocodile let the victim go, and he scrambled back to safety, and drove himself to Cooktown Hospital. The victim was then flown to Cairns, where he is recovering, The Guardian reported. The man's identity or other details were not revealed.

The Department of Environment and Science said wildlife officers have investigated the attack on the man, News 9 reported. They added the man’s injuries were consistent with a crocodile attack and they believe the animal was attracted to the area by the bull.

The department said due to the remote location of the property and lack of public access to it, they will not attempt to remove the crocodile.

According to a 2013 study, the Australian Saltwater Crocodiles are one of the most aggressive reptiles when compared with six other species from the U.S., Papua New Guinea, South America and Southeast Asia.

Saltwater crocodile numbers have exploded since they were declared a protected species in 1971, with recent attacks reigniting debate about controlling them
Saltwater crocodile numbers have exploded since they were declared a protected species in 1971, with recent attacks reigniting debate about controlling them AFP / WILLIAM WEST
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