A tourist hotspot in Mexico's Riviera Maya descended into chaos after a crocodile known for swimming peacefully beside tourists attacked an elderly French visitor at a popular cenote near Tulum. The animal, known as Panchito, had become an attraction at Casa Cenote after finding fame on social media.
Several visitors had been throwing rocks at the reptile in a bid to provoke it, according to witnesses, when it bit the man on Tuesday morning just after 11am. The frightening encounter marked what appears to be the first recorded attack involving Panchito, a Morelet's crocodile that for years had been photographed gliding through the water alongside snorkelers and divers inside the mangrove-lined waters.
Panic broke out when Panchito bit the man, identified locally as 75-year-old Jean Jaques Kerempranas, as stunned onlookers watched on. Photos from the aftermath of the attack show the man's bloodied foot after it appears he was bitten on both ankles and his left arm. Kerempranas was taken to Costamed Hospital, where he is in a stable condition, according to one local Mexican news outlet.
The cenote, located roughly 15 minutes north of Tulum on the coastal road toward Cancun, is famous for its unusual mix of saltwater and freshwater, creating a habitat where wildlife and tourists frequently occupy the same narrow waterways. Dive operators regularly referenced Panchito by name when promoting excursions while tourists would line up to photograph him.
But wildlife experts repeatedly warned that the situation was dangerous. Environmental specialists have long cautioned that crocodiles do not stop being wild animals simply because they become accustomed to humans. That combination turned Panchito into something unusual and risky - a wild predator treated by visitors as a tourist attraction.
Experts say habituation may reduce an animal's fear response, but it does not erase instinct - particularly when the animal feels trapped, threatened or provoked. The attack has now forced local authorities into action with officials in Tulum working to develop more formal rules. The proposed measures include new warning signs, restrictions on activities near crocodiles and stricter oversight of tour operators conducting excursions in the cenote. Authorities have not announced whether the crocodile will be relocated, removed or euthanized following the attack.
