A group of quick-thinking kids scaled a tree to escape the jaws of a 5-metre crocodile.
The eight children, aged 11 to 14, were playing in Magnificent Creek at Kowanyama, Australia, when the massive crocodile slithered towards them on Saturday.
Rescuers praised the youngsters for their smart reaction after they climbed the tree and shouted for help.
Senior Constable Martin Shephard said they all managed to scramble into the tree and away from the beast.
A passerby on the bank heard their cries and called the local police to assist, he told Tropic Now.
Officers arrived and called out to the children using a loudspeaker and thought they were joking about the croc in the water.
“However, the kids were quite scared at the time,” he added.
The cops borrowed a boat from a local man to bring the children to safety.
But when they tried to rescue them out of the tree the crocodile reappeared, according to Snr Const Shephard.
“This crocodile was actually larger than the boat and it was a 5m boat,” he added.
A croc of that size would be capable of dragging off one of the children if it had been hungry at the time.
But the senior constable said “They were smart enough to not panic", got themselves to a safe place and looked after one other until officers arrived.
Police praised the group's actions and issued a warning to swimmers about the area which is known to have crocodiles.
They also noted the river which is also a risk due to recent flooding.
The local community was informed about the crocodile - but it is thought the animal will move on as the water subsides.
