Snorkeller pries crocodile jaws off his head, survives attack in Australia – National | 24CA News
A picturesque snorkelling journey in North Queensland, Australia, changed into chaos when a person was attacked by a crocodile. Miraculously, he survived by prying the reptile’s jaws off of his personal head.
The Queensland Government Hospital and Health Service launched a assertion from Marcus McGowan, who was attacked by a saltwater crocodile 40 kilometres off the coast of Cape York on Saturday.
McGowan, a Gold Coast resident, stated he was snorkelling together with his spouse and a gaggle of buddies when he was attacked. While viewing coral and fish within the water, a crocodile approached McGowan from behind and bit his head. Initially, McGowan thought he’d been bitten by a shark.
Though he didn’t get a great view of the reptile, McGowan stated the attacker was doubtless a juvenile crocodile about two to 3 metres lengthy.
“I was able to lever its jaws open just far enough to get my head out,” McGowan wrote.
When the crocodile surged for a second assault, McGowan stated he pushed the animal away together with his proper hand, which was subsequently bitten.
Again, McGowan managed to free himself from the crocodile’s jaws and swim again to the boat. He sustained scalp lacerations and puncture wounds on his head and hand because of the assault.
On the boat, McGowan’s pal, a firefighter, administered first help and antibiotic photographs to forestall any an infection whereas en path to Haggerstone Island, about 45 minutes away. Once there, McGowan was airlifted to hospital for therapy.
“I live on the Gold Coast and am a keen surfer and diver, and understand that when you enter the marine environment, you are entering territory that belongs to potentially dangerous animals, such as sharks and crocodiles,” McGowan wrote. “I was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time.”
The Queensland Department of Environment is at the moment investigating the incident.
“It is important that crocodile sightings and crocodile incidents are reported in a timely manner,” the division stated in an announcement to Australian broadcaster ABC News. “Crocodiles in the open ocean can be difficult to locate as the animals often travel tens of kilometres per day.”
There have been a minimum of 44 crocodile assaults on people in Queensland since 1985. McGowan’s crocodile encounter is the fifth incident within the area since April of this yr.
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