By Nick Squires in Sydney
Last Updated: 1:21am GMT 28/03/2008
Australian police fired shots at a huge saltwater crocodile to prevent a drunken “idiot” from being eaten alive during an impromptu swim in the sea.
The intoxicated swimmer was moments away from being seized by the large saltie after jumping into the water for a bet.
The 27-year-old man, a miner working on an island off Australia’s north coast, was drinking with a friend when he was dared to swim out to a metal crocodile trap about 70 yards offshore.
“People saw this large crocodile in the water nearby and saw this idiot swimming out towards the croc trap,” said local police commander Colin Smith.
“They called police who got there fairly quickly. It started off 20 metres from him, then closed in to 10 metres and started to pick up pace for the attack.”
As shocked onlookers tried to alert the man to the approaching croc, a police officer started shooting at the animal with his Glock pistol.
“The first one either hit the croc or put him off because it swam under the water,” said Commander Smith.
“But it was still headed in the man’s direction and this is when police fired more shots ... to give him time to reach the shore. No one doubts the actions of police saved this fella.”
The drama took place opposite a recreation club off Groote Eylandt, an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria named by Dutch explorers, where in 2005 a British mine manager, Russell Harris, was killed by a 13ft-long crocodile.
Police are considering whether to take disciplinary action against the man, who ignored signs warning of the presence of crocodiles.
“(When he got out of the water) he was intoxicated and argumentative with police,” said Commander Smith.
“He didn’t seem to appreciate that police had probably just saved his life."
An assistant manager at the recreation club, Michael O’Keefe, said the man had a narrow escape.
“I reckon he had one minute to go (before the crocodile attacked him),” Mr O’Keefe said.
“It had started to pick up pace ... I’d yelled to those guys there was a four metre crocodile out there. This guy is an idiot ... he’s not from this planet.”
Growing to a maximum length of around 23ft, saltwater crocodiles are capable of killing large animals such as wild buffalo, feral pigs and horses.
Since being protected from commercial hunting in the early 1970s, their numbers have recovered from a low point of around 5,000.
There are now estimated to be up to 85,000 in the Northern Territory alone, with thousands more in Queensland and Western Australia.
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