A 29-year-old tourist was hospitalized after being attacked by a crocodile he mistook for a statue while trying to take selfies inside a zoo enclosure.
The shocking incident occurred on Monday at the Kabug Mangrove Park and Wetlands and was caught on camera by an onlooker. The video shows the man climbing over a chain-link fence and stepping into shallow water, smiling and pulling out his phone to pose—unaware that the 15-foot female crocodile, Lalay, was real, The New York Post reported.
Without warning, the crocodile lunges at the man, biting his arm. The footage captures the man screaming in pain as the reptile locks her jaws around him. She then grabs his thigh and begins a death roll—a violent spinning move crocodiles use to dismember their prey.
The man was reportedly trapped in the enclosure for about 30 minutes before help arrived. Lalay's handler managed to free him by striking the crocodile on the head with a piece of cement, causing her to release her grip.
First responders wrapped the man's arm and thigh in cloth to slow the bleeding before transporting him to a hospital, where he received more than 50 stitches.
Police Staff Sergeant Joel Sajolga of the Siay Municipal Police told local media, "The tourist was walking around the area, then he saw the crocodile, which he thought was just a plastic fixture. He climbed the fence and entered the enclosure, and the crocodile attacked him."
He added, "This kind of behavior is very dangerous. Nobody should ever enter an animal's enclosure at the zoo. He put other people's lives at risk and he is very lucky to have survived."
Zoo officials have not yet commented on whether safety measures will be reviewed following the incident.
