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16-foot crocodile turns on zookeeper and attacks him in front of horrified crowd

16-foot crocodile turns on zookeeper and attacks him in front of horrified crowd

The terrifying incident took place in South Africa

If you think you’ve had a shocker at work, wait until you see this bloke whose day went awry when a 16-foot crocodile turned on him. Viewer discretion is, of course, advised:

Now, most of us don’t have to deal with man-eating carnivores in our day-to-day work, but one man who does this incredibly dangerous job is Sean Le Clus.

The crocodile handler was very fortunate to escape a potentially deadly attack from not one, but two of the reptiles at the Crocodile Creek farm in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa.

Sean was swiped at by a female crocodile named July, before having to force himself free from the Nile crocodile named (rather appropriately) Hannibal, who he was sat on.

The 68-year-old suffered a bite from the female croc, who penetrated her five-inch teeth into his thigh.

Despite escaping the crocodile’s grasp, Hannibal was able to launch a separate attack and threw Sean onto the floor before the zookeeper managed to make a lucky escape.

The croc sunk her teeth into Sean Le Crus' thigh.
Jamie Pyatt

It was an incident which sparked panic among the watching tourists, who saw the harrowing scenes unfold.

The reptile park sits on the Utongati River flood plain near Durban, and is home to approximately 6,000 crocodiles, alligators and snakes.

A Crocodile Creek spokesman told The South African newspaper: “Sean had two big teeth holes in him but sewed them up himself and was back at work in 20 minutes.

“It was the first time Hannibal has bitten a handler and it happened because the female moved in on him and she can be very stroppy.

“Sean was watching the female and Hannibal just reminded him that he was there – if it was a proper bite then it would have been very bad.

“It is like every job – there is always a chance of injuries."


Sean Le Crus sat rather comfortably on Hannibal's back.
Jamie Pyatt

If we weren’t sure already, messing with crocodiles is a very bad idea. However, one man that came out on top against these ferocious beasts is Kai Hansen, a pub owner from Australia.

Kai owns a pub in the Northern Territory, which is home to the deadly Saltwater Crocodile. With the reptile looking to head into his establishment, Kai promptly knocks the croc on its head with a frying pan.

Not a scene you could imagine in your local boozer, but one that is seemingly commonplace in the tropical regions of Australia!

Featured Image Credit: Jamie Pyatt

Topics: Animals, World News