Zookeeper Escapes Death From Crocodile Attack; Handler Was Bitten by the 16-Foot Beast He Has Been Taking Care of for 30 Years

A 68-year-old zookeeper recently miraculously escaped death after a 16-foot crocodile launched an attack on him in front of terrified tourists.

The victim, Sean Le Clus, was injured while hosting a show at the South Africa-based Crocodile Creek farm, where two crocodiles suddenly approached and "launched an attack on him," a Daily Star report said.

The crocodile handler was ferociously attacked while seated on the back of the 660-kilogram beast before a second one also attacked him.

Le Clus endured a dreadful bite from the female crocodile named July. The attack was then followed by that of a Nile crocodile identified as Hannibal at the said KwaZulu Natal province-based farm in South Africa.

Gigantic Carnivore, the Zookeeper Calls 'Good Boy'

The handler, who had been taking care of Hannibal for over three decades already, needed to wriggle and push himself out of the five-inch long teeth of the beast that "sank into his thigh," according to a similar The Sun report.

After twisting his body away, the crocodile hurled the zookeeper onto the enclosure floor before his escape on all fours earlier this month.

Le Clus had just fed the female crocodile a chicken to keep her calm while he conducted his so-called "party trick" of sitting on the back of Hannibal for the crowd's amusement.

He's calling the gigantic carnivore a "good boy" while patting him just behind the head, although he did not notice July, the female crocodile, suddenly approaching him.

Second Crocodile Attack

In the latter part of the show, the zookeeper pulled his leg out of the jaws of the mouth of the female crocodile and fended it off with a stick as he dismounted the huge male croc for safety.

Nonetheless, having taken his action off the male beast, the 103-predator saw his chance and whipped his head around with jaws wide open.

The crocodile handler, who had been bitten in the past by another crocodile and suffered a leg wound that caused him to limp for almost a year, leaped in a panic backward.

Previously, he said, if a crocodile gets a grip of a human, "it is game over." Dozens of tourists screamed out, shocked, during the possibly deadly attack at the South African tourist attraction.

A Home to 6,000 Crocodiles, Alligators, and Snake

The famous reptile park situated on the Utongati River flood plain just north of Durban is considered a home to 6,000 crocodiles, alligators, and snakes.

A park representative told The South African newspaper that the zookeeper had a pair of big teeth holes in him, although he sewed them up himself and had returned to work in 20 minutes.

It was the first time the crocodile had bitten a handler, and it took place because the female moved in on him, and she could potentially be stroppy.

Sean watched both the male and female crocodiles and just reminded him that he was there; if it were a "proper bite," it would then have been quite bad.

The report about the mauled zookeeper is shown on N4News Official's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Crocodiles in Science Times.