A drunk man who climbed into a crocodile enclosure in Australia and attempted to ride a 5m (16ft) long crocodile has survived his encounter.

The crocodile, called Fatso, bit the 36-year-old man's leg, tearing chunks of flesh from him as he straddled the reptile.

He received surgery to serious wounds to his leg and is recovering in hospital, police say.

He had been chucked out of a pub in the town of Broome for being too drunk.

The man, Michael Newman, climbed over a fence and tried to sit on the 800kg (1,800lb) saltwater crocodile.

"Fatso has taken offence to this and has spun around and bit this man on the right leg," Sgt Roger Haynes of Broome police told journalists.

"The crocodile has let him go and he's been able to scale the fence again and leave the wildlife park."

Right mind

Malcolm Douglas, the park's owner, said that the crocodile was capable of crushing a man to death with a single bite.

"The man who climbed the fence was fortunate because Fatso was a bit more sluggish than normal, due to the cooler nights we have been experiencing in Broome," said Mr Douglas.

"If it had been warmer and Fatso was more alert, we would have been dealing with a fatality."

"No person in their right mind would try to sit on a 5m crocodile, Saltwater crocodiles, once they get hold of you, are not renowned for letting you go."

The man staggered back to the pub bleeding heavily.

Pub manager Mark Phillips said staff told him that the man reappeared at about 11pm with bits of bark hanging off him and flesh gouged out of his limbs.

"They said he had chunks out of his legs and things like that," Mr Phillips told The West Australian news website.

An average of two people are killed each year in Australia by aggressive saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to 7m (23 ft) long and weigh more than a tonne.

He's going swimming with a Stingray next. They're harmless....I mean they have never hurt anyone ...right?  ;)

The crocs over here are becoming over populated due to being a protected species. They used to be in the far Northern regions of Australia ... but have been advancing further South of late. Luckily, I live too far South to encounter one of these monsters.  I don't know how the people up there handle it. It is soooo hot and humid and they have all this water around...but there are soooo many creatures that are deadly in those waters. They even have to swim at the beaches in small enclosures due to the box jellyfish etc. I tried this once (while on holiday) ... but the ocean was so warm it did not help cool me down at all.  The salt water crocs like the surf as well as the inland rivers...

He's going swimming with a Stingray next. They're harmless....I mean they have never hurt anyone ...right?  ;)

The crocs over here are becoming over populated due to being a protected species. They used to be in the far Northern regions of Australia ... but have been advancing further South of late. Luckily, I live too far South to encounter one of these monsters.  I don't know how the people up there handle it. It is soooo hot and humid and they have all this water around...but there are soooo many creatures that are deadly in those waters. They even have to swim at the beaches in small enclosures due to the box jellyfish etc. I tried this once (while on holiday) ... but the ocean was so warm it did not help cool me down at all.  The salt water crocs like the surf as well as the inland rivers...


There are some Americans who are frightened to go to Australia because of all the  nasty critters you've got down there. 

This story, however, falls under "stupid human tricks."

I'm on the crocodiles side here (besides he threatened to bite my ass off).  A drunk guy went into the crocodile's enclosure an attempted to mount the animal.  The croc did what I would have done!

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/08/rolleyes.gif

There are some Americans who are frightened to go to Australia because of all the  nasty critters you've got down there. 

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/08/rolleyes.gif


Yes....we just make them all up. Just so Americans won't visit!!  ;D

Yes....we just make them all up. Just so Americans won't visit!!  ;D

Canadians will still come... ;)

Yes....we just make them all up. Just so Americans won't visit!!  ;D


But if you really want to see crocs in the wild, you have to land in some place like Darwin.  The biting bugs will eat you alive before you even see a crocodile!
<

But if you really want to see crocs in the wild, you have to land in some place like Darwin.  The biting bugs will eat you alive before you even see a crocodile!
<


Wow...you must have done some research to have heard about Darwin. That is one Capitol city I will probably never visit.  Talking Heads sang about it..."we're on the road to nowhere"..  ;)  But seriously...Darwin is not near anywhere and the nearest State capitol city is thousands of miles/kms in any direction. Actually, the Indonesian capitol (northerly direction) ... or maybe Papua New Guinea's Port Morsby is probably closer than any other Australian State capitol city (ie Perth, Brisbane or Adelaide)....!!!!!!


Oh...and crocs can be easily accessed in Far North Queensland...inland from Cairns region. Every now and then we see news reports of crocs body surfing in on the Cairns beaches. It's bad enough to have sharks and box jellyfish etc in the waters without the danger coming ashore and walking up the beach! :o