Queensland man uses pocket knife to fight off crocodile dragging him into river

A Queensland man has escaped the jaws of a crocodile by stabbing it in the head with a pocket knife as it dragged him into a river on Cape York.

Parks and Wildlife officers said the 60-year-old had been fishing on his property on the banks of a remote part of the McIvor River, near Hope Vale, last Wednesday.

He saw a bull standing on part of the bank he wanted to fish from so he shooed it away. As he prepared to cast his line, a crocodile lunged out of the water and knocked him over.

The reptile then clamped its jaws around his boots and started dragging him down the bank. The man grabbed a mangrove tree branch and held on.

Eventually he lost strength and let go, with the crocodile pulling him into the river.

The man used his pocket knife to stab the reptile in its head repeatedly before he went into the water. It suddenly let go and the man scrambled back up the bank to safety.

He then drove himself to Cooktown hospital and from there he was flown to Cairns, where he is recovering from his injuries.

Department of Environment and Science experts spoke to the man in hospital on Tuesday and found his injuries consistent with a crocodile attack. They believe the animal was attracted to area by the bull.

The department said due to the remote location of property and lack of public access they won’t attempt to catch the crocodile.

This article was first published by The Guardian on 9 November 2021. Lead Image: A saltwater crocodile in Queensland, Australia. A man fishing on a river near Hope Vale has fought off a crocodile with a pocket knife. Photograph: Ullstein Bild/Getty Images.

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