Five-foot saltwater crocodile named Leo rips flesh from woman, 34, tearing apart in horror at Crocosaurus Cove reptile park: ‘There was a lot of blood’
- Crocosaurus Cove worker taken to hospital
- Bitten in arm by saltwater crocodile
- Workplace watchdog investigates
An employee of a tourist attraction in a crocodile park is lucky to be alive after being mauled by a five-meter saltwater crocodile.
The 34-year-old woman was taken to hospital after being attacked by the resident saltwater crocodile Leo on April 29 while working at Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin.
It is clear that the female employee was putting a plant in the fence while leaning over a wall when Leo approached her, a former employee told the NT News.
Another source claimed the woman was “lucky not to lose a limb” during the gruesome encounter.
A visitor claimed that they had heard staff talking that ‘a lot of blood’ had been shed after the attack.
An employee was recently attacked by Leo (pictured) the 5-metre saltwater crocodile at Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin
A source said the woman was “lucky not to lose a limb” during the gruesome encounter. (pictured is Leo jumping for snacks during a previous feeding session at the Crocosaurus Cove)
The former staff said a “code-blue” life-threatening emergency alert was issued before the injured worker was treated with a tourniquet.
They said it was the first time a huge crocodile had attacked an employee in this way, but admitted that other staff had been bitten by smaller young crocodiles.
“There was one decent bite, probably a year or two ago now, where an underage member of staff was actually bitten by one of the smaller crocodiles,” the former employee claimed.
NT WorkSafe confirmed that the employee had been bitten and an investigation was launched.
It would not release details of the woman’s injuries for “privacy” reasons.
A spokeswoman for the St. John Ambulance said a 34-year-old woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The Crocosaurus Cove site, which said it offers visitors an up-close and personal view of the crocodiles, has the cage of death experience where visitors can dive with Leo (pictured)
A spokeswoman for Crocosaurus Cove said the “minor incident” had been managed in accordance with its policies and procedures, with positive outcomes
She said out of respect for her employees that the organization would not comment further.
Leo the crocodile has been a tourist attraction at the popular wildlife attraction since he was transferred from a crocodile farm in Darwin.
In the mid-1980s, the crocodile had a penchant for live cattle at Finiss River Station in the Northern Territory.
The location said to offer visitors an up close and personal view of the crocodiles offers the cage of death experience where visitors can dive with Leo.
“We don’t think crocodile jumps for his lunch are the way Leo does,” the tourist attraction said on social media.
NT WorkSafe is now investigating the incident at Crocosaurus Cove (pictured)