A crocodile handler has died a day after being attacked by a crocodile at a wildlife park in Papua New Guinea.
Attack at Adventure Park
The man, who has not yet been identified, was inside a crocodile enclosure at Adventure Park in Port Moresby when he was attacked on Saturday. He was taken to 3 Mile General Hospital for treatment but died from his injuries at around 7am on Sunday.
Eyewitness account
Horrifying video footage shared on social media shows the moment the worker was clinging to the side of a pool as bystanders attempted to help him. The crocodile appeared to have its jaws around the man's legs, while one person offered him a pole through the enclosure fence. Another person later appeared to support the worker from the edge of the pool as a crowd gathered around the enclosure.
Eyewitness Gibson John told the ABC the man was attacked while attempting to feed the crocodile. "He brought the chicken to the fence and the crocodile attacked the person and tried to bring him into the pool," Mr John said. "We couldn't assist at that time, [but] I managed to contact the St John's Ambulance."
Mr John said the crocodile had the man's legs in its mouth for more than an hour before help arrived. "The security guards had no guns, but gave him a small iron rod to use until the police and St John's Ambulance came," he said. "He was in severe pain but he couldn't scream."
Aftermath and closure
"He couldn't speak properly at that time. It was the pain I could see from his eyes. The only thing I could hear him say was, 'I haven't done anything wrong'." Mr John said he was later told the man, who was from the Western Islands in northern Papua New Guinea, had lost a leg before being taken to hospital.
"I've never seen something like this before. I couldn't believe what I saw," he said. The handler is understood to have worked at the park for around two years. The park has been closed until further notice, while staff who witnessed the attack are reportedly gathering at a funeral home following the worker's death.
