An Australian farmer found himself in grave danger near a lake. A huge crocodile crept up, suddenly seized his leg and began dragging him into deep water. He first tried kicking himself free of its jaws, and when that failed he bit the fierce animal in the eye. That saved his life.

The lucky man is Colin Devereux, although the bite from the 10-foot crocodile left him in hospital for a month.

Devereux is a livestock farmer. Last month, while fencing near the Finniss River, he ran into danger beside a lake.

The Australian said he had stopped after seeing some fish swimming in the middle of the lake. As he set off again, a crocodile suddenly seized his right leg and dragged him into the water.

Devereux said he first tried to kick the crocodile in the chest with his other leg. When that did not work, he bit its eyelid.

"I was in such an awkward position… but by accident my teeth caught its eyelid. It was quite thick, rather like holding leather. But when I bit the crocodile's eyelid, it let me go," he said.

"Straight away I jumped up and started taking big strides towards where the car was. The crocodile still chased me, probably for four metres, but then it stopped."

Devereux said he tied his leg with a towel and rope to try to stop the bleeding. His brother then drove him to Royal Darwin Hospital, about 130 kilometres away.

"If it had bitten me somewhere else, things might have been different. This has opened my eyes," he said.

According to the local government, crocodiles are the basis of an important industry in northern Australia and are protected by law. Besides their scientific interest, the animals are considered valuable as a tourist attraction.

Citing BBC.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.