A 60-year-old man in Australia used his pocket knife to bravely fight off?a?saltwater crocodile?as it dragged him into a river.
The Queensland Department of Environment and Science said the 60-year-old had been fishing on his property on the banks of a remote part of the McIvor River, near Hope Vale, on November 3, The Guardian reported.?
He saw a bull standing on part of the bank he wanted to fish from so he shooed it away. As he prepared to cast his line, a crocodile lunged out of the water and knocked him over.??
The reptile then clamped its jaws around his boots and started dragging him down the bank. He grabbed onto a mangrove branch and tried to hold on, but the crocodile was able to drag him off, towards the water.
But luckily, he was able to pull his knife from his belt and stabbed the crocodile in the head until it let him go.??
He then drove himself to Cooktown Hospital and from there he was flown to Cairns, where he is still recovering from his injuries.??
As per ABC Australia, Cairns Hospital has confirmed the man is in a stable condition after being bitten on the leg near Hope Vale, north of Cooktown.
Department of Environment and Science experts spoke with the man in hospital on Tuesday and found his injuries consistent with a crocodile attack.
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 they won't attempt to catch the crocodile.
Saltwater crocodile numbers have exploded in Australia's "croc country" since they were declared a protected species in 1971, with attacks increasing in recent years.
The "salties", which can grow up to seven metres long and weigh more than a tonne, are a common feature of the vast continent's tropical north.
Fatalities remain relatively rare, with locals and visitors warned to keep their distance from inhabited waterways.
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