Enduring agonizing pain as his legs were crushed in the crocodile’s jaws for over an hour, the handler clung desperately to the edge of the pool in a bid for survival before a helpless crowd.
A routine crocodile feeding demonstration on Saturday at Adventure Park in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, turned into a waking nightmare for dozens of visitors.
The handler—a worker from the Western Highlands with two years of experience—entered the fenced enclosure as he had done many times before. He carried chicken for the close-contact feeding show, a regular attraction for park visitors. In a split second near the water’s edge, the massive reptile lunged, locking its lethal jaws onto his legs and attempting to drag him beneath the surface.
A Desperate Battle for Survival
Driven by raw survival instinct, the handler seized the concrete lip of the pool with both hands, refusing to let the animal pull him entirely into the deep water. Below the surface, his legs remained trapped in the predator’s crushing grip.
Horrified bystanders could only watch and scramble for ways to help. With no specialized rescue gear nearby, several onlookers tore a pole from the perimeter fence to extend to the trapped worker, while another managed to lean over the pool edge to brace him. Park security guards, unarmed and lacking heavy equipment, could only pass down a small iron rod so he could fend off the reptile while waiting for emergency responders.
Eyewitness Gibson John, who called for emergency services, recalled the ordeal: “He brought the chicken to the fence, and the crocodile attacked the person and tried to bring him into the pool. We couldn’t assist at that time, [but] I managed to contact the St John’s Ambulance. The crocodile had the man’s legs in its mouth for more than an hour before help came. The security guards had no guns, but gave him a small iron rod to use until the police and St John’s Ambulance came.”
The pain was beyond endurance, John added: “He was in severe pain, but he couldn’t scream. He couldn’t speak properly at that time. It was the pain I could see from his eyes. The only thing I could hear him say was, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’”
The Fatal Shot
For over sixty grueling minutes, the handler hung between life and death. He bore the crushing force of the crocodile’s bite while straining every muscle in his arms to keep from slipping beneath the surface.
The standoff ended only after police officers and a St John’s Ambulance crew arrived on the scene. Visitors were quickly evacuated from the enclosure grounds. With the reptile refusing to release its hold, officers opened fire, shooting the crocodile dead to free the trapped worker.
A Tragic End
Paramedics immediately rushed the critically injured man to 3 Mile General Hospital. Reports from the scene indicated he had lost a leg in the attack.
Despite emergency medical efforts, the severe trauma and catastrophic blood loss proved fatal; he succumbed to his injuries at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Following the tragedy, Adventure Park closed indefinitely as staff gathered at a funeral home to mourn their colleague. The horrific incident has left witnesses deeply shaken while raising urgent questions regarding safety protocols, emergency response readiness, and handler protections at wildlife attractions
