This archive report was first published on 16 November 2019.
On a remote beach in Northern Australia, known as 'croc country', a 54-year-old man made a split-second decision to go fishing last Sunday. The decision nearly cost him his life when a 2.8-metre (nine-foot) saltwater crocodile emerged from the water and attacked him.
According to the man, Craig Dickmann, the crocodile latched onto his thigh as he was leaving the beach. In a desperate bid to escape, Dickmann stuck his thumb into the crocodile's eye, which he described as the only 'soft spot' on the 'bullet-proof' animal.
"Their eyes retract a fair way and when you go down far enough you can feel bone so I pushed as far as I possibly could and then it let go at that point," Dickmann said.
After a few minutes of wrestling with the crocodile, Dickmann managed to get on top of it and pin its jaws shut. He then pushed the crocodile away from him and it slid back into the water.
The ordeal left Dickmann with skin ripped from his hands and legs. He drove over 45 minutes back to his home before calling emergency services, who then flew him to Cairns Hospital for treatment.
Queensland's department of environment euthanized the crocodile this week, citing its 'cunning and devious' nature.
According to the state government, the last non-fatal attack was in January 2018 in the Torres Strait, while the last death was in October 2017 in Port Douglas.
Published on November 16, 2019.
