A tourist needed to be rushed to hospital after a crocodile latched onto his arm during a cruise along a notorious river known for ‘jumping croc’ adventure tours.
The man, 60, had ‘heavy bleeding’ after a three to four metre crocodile bit his hand and arm during a cruise on the infamous Adelaide River not far from Darwin.
Paramedics received an emergency call at 3.30pm on Monday to assist a man who had been bitten by the croc on the river near the Arnhem Highway.
A male tourist needed to be rushed to hospital for surgery after a crocodile latched onto his arm during a cruise
The man is believed to have been on a crocodile tour on the Adelaide River near Darwin, a notorious river known for ‘jumping croc’ adventure tours. Adelaide River Queen Jumping Crocodile Cruises said the attack did not happen on one of its tours
The man sustained ‘heavy bleeding’ which had to be controlled with a ‘pressure bandage’ applied by bystanders, the NT News reported.
The man was driven to Palmerston Hospital where he had surgery and according to NT Health was in a stable condition.
‘My understanding is a male there has been on a cruise of some sort … and somehow has ended up having his hand bitten by what appears to be a three- or four-metre crocodile,’ said St John Ambulance NT operations manager Craig Garraway.
NT Police Senior Sargeant Richard Howie said the attack was a reminder of how dangerous the area is.
‘Anyone out on the water should be really aware and obviously be safe when it comes to being in their territory,’ he said.
One of the ‘jumping’ crocodile in the Adelaide River in the Northern Territory, a notorious croc-infested river
A warning sign on the banks of the Adelaide River south of Darwin
A spokeswoman for one of the river’s longest-running croc tours, Original Adelaide River Queen Jumping Crocodile Cruises, said the attack did not happen on one of its cruises.
But it is understood the attack did happen on a crocodile cruise.
The river has been the scene of hundreds of crocodile attacks over many years.
Just last month a 28-year-old man had his toes partially bitten off by a crocodile after the reptile grabbed his foot at the town of Adelaide River, which is south of Darwin and named after the river.
In 2014 a 57-year-old fisherman was taken by a crocodile while he was trying to retrieve release a snagged hook while fishing on the Adelaide River.
The man was reportedly fishing with his wife when he was killed by the crocodile around 5.30pm and she witnessed the attack.
A crocodile being encouraged to jump for meat during a tour along the Adelaide River
He is not the only fisherman to have been taken from the river banks.
In 2019 a crocodile cruise legend told the ABC ‘I can still hear the screams’ of a woman whose young husband was taken after wading into the river.
In 2019 a mammoth five metre croc ran on to land near the banks of the river and devoured a calf, shocking a man tending his garden.
Read More: DailyMail