Man survives crocodile attack by biting it back

An Australian cattleman was able to survive a fatal crocodile attack by biting its eyelids. He is set to be discharged this week after spending a month of treatment in the hospital.

Colin Deveraux, a cattleman who is in his mid-60s, detailed the incidient to Australia’s ABC News, which began when he was working along the Finniss River in the Northern Territory to build a fence. He later stopped at a billabong—a backwater from a main source, like a receded river or flood—after noticing a fish swimming. When he tried to approach it, a 10-foot crocodile immediately grabbed his right foot. 

"The water had receded and it was down to this dirty water in the middle. I took two steps and [the crocodile] latched onto my right foot,” Colin recalled.  

"It was a big grab and he shook me like a rag doll and took off back into the water, pulling me in,” he continued. 

But Colin made sure to not go down without a fight. Despite the predator’s size, he tried kicking its ribs before managing to escape by biting it back on its eyelids. 

"I was in such an awkward position, but by accident, my teeth caught his eyelid,” he recounted. “It was pretty thick, like holding onto leather, but I jerked back on his eyelid and he let go.” 

Colin said that the whole encounter ran for about eight seconds. He immediately “leapt away” and tried to go back to his car, all while still being chased by the animal.

"He chased me for a bit, maybe four meters, but then stopped,” he recalled. 

Colin tried to stop the bleeding using his towel and a rope. He was then rushed to the hospital, where he was confined for a month. 

He also shared his biggest problem was the bad bacteria he had gotten since it happened in murky waters.  

"[My foot and leg] was opened up bad and over 10 days in a row, I think, they had to flush it,” he shared, noting that he received a skin graft last month and is now able to feel his toes. Meanwhile, authorities had also removed the crocodile from the area.