Tourist gets bitten by crocodile at Philippines wetlands park after mistaking it for a statue
A tourist in the Philippines was bitten by a crocodile at Kabug Island Wetlands Park after mistaking the animal for a statue while taking a selfie.
A 29-year-old man in the Philippines was seriously injured after he was bitten by a crocodile he thought was a statue while trying to take a selfie at a wetlands park. The incident took place at the Kabug Island Mangrove and Wetlands Park, in Zamboanga Sibugay province. The man entered an enclosure where Lalay, a female crocodile measuring more than 15 feet (4.57 meters) in length, was kept.
The man was later identified as a tourist in the area. In addition to bites to his arm and his thigh, the man was seriously injured. The crocodile's caretaker intervened at personal risk to rescue the tourist. The unidentified man was quickly treated for all of his injuries, and was transferred to a hospital.
Tourist gets bitten by a crocodile in the Philippines
A 29-year-old man took a selfie with a crocodile, mistakenly thinking it was a statue, before it bit him in its enclosure at a wetlands park in southern Philippines. The man was near a female crocodile called Lalay at the Kabug Island Mangrove and Wetlands Park in Zamboanga Sibugay province.
Authorities say he thought the 15-foot-long reptile was a statue, climbed over its fence, and waded into shallow water to take a photo before he was attacked after jumping into the crocodile's enclosure.
When police arrived on scene, they learned that the man had been bitten on the right leg. Based on information given to them by the Siay municipal police, the man was out walking around when he came across the crocodile and mistook it for a plastic decoration. He climbed over the fence and entered into the enclosure, at which point he was attacked.
The crocodile’s owner/caretaker, Nanding Panogan got involved and managed to rescue the man (although the man had been in the enclosure with the crocodile for approximately 30 minutes and was in pain). Again, according to Panogan, the man’s life was in danger as he climbed into the pen and struck Lalay with a piece of cement, which caused Lalay to release the man’s leg.
The medical personnel treated the victim's wounds before taking him to a hospital nearby, where he received more than fifty stitches.
Police Staff Sergeant Joel Sajolga said this type of activity poses a risk. He stated that approaching a zoo animal's enclosure in any way places that individual, and potentially everybody else, in danger.
Video of the incident taken by bystanders show Lalay grab the man's arm and complete a death roll, a feeding behaviour crocodiles use to restrain their prey. During the horrific incident, witnesses screamed as the man was pulled under the water.
The park has made no news releases yet and the investigation is ongoing. Eyewitnesses were shocked by the man's behavior.
One witness said, "I don’t know why he would do such a dumb thing, but I’m glad the man is alive, and the crocodile just let him go. His leg wasn’t broken, but he did suffer injuries to his arm and thigh."
