Heartbreaking drone footage has captured the moment a beach-loving dog managed to escape a crocodile lurking in the water just meters away.
The nail-biting video showed the huge reptile stalking the dog as it wandered along the shoreline of Loyalty Beach, near Cape York in far north Queensland, on Wednesday.
The dog appeared to be unaware that it was being chased by the five-metre crocodile as it walked along the shoreline.
The crocodile patiently entered the water hoping to pounce on the dog.
The dog then retreated further away from the water, causing the crocodile to lose interest in its potential meal.
A drone zoomed in closer on the reptile, showing it in a motionless position after the dog moved on
Aerial footage of the incident was uploaded to Instagram by photographer Jerry Ahmat.
Dozens of social media users who commented on the post were left in disbelief after the dog managed to escape.
“Spitting I thought the dog was going to be eaten,” said one user.
“Omg get the dog away from the waterfront!!!,” wrote another.
Others said the dog might have recognized the danger and that’s why it ended up running away from the water’s edge.
“The dog was aware of the crocodile,” said one social media user.
“The dog probably knew the crocodile was there before it arrived,” wrote another.
Heartbreaking footage has emerged of a dog having an encounter with a large crocodile on the shores of Loyalty Beach (pictured) on the Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland
Some users said the dog should have been rescued sooner, rather than allowed to venture close to shore.
“I don’t understand why the dog wasn’t recalled when the crocodile was spotted,” said one social media user.
However, Mr Ahmat said beachgoers tried to call the dog back before it got close to the water.
He said the pet appeared to be a stray as the owner had not been sighted on the beach.
“We have a lot of stray dogs here, they say it belongs to someone from Seisia,” Mr Ahmat told police. Cairns Post.
‘We tried our best.’
Mr Ahmat was flying his DJI Mavic Air drone at the time the dog met the crocodile.
He said crocodiles often find their way to the shores of the beach and surrounding areas, including Seisia and offshore at Red Island.