A 54-year-old man is recovering in hospital after being attacked by a saltwater crocodile in the Northern Territory.
The man was wading across a waterway near Palumpa, a Daly river region community about 370km south-west of Darwin, when he was attacked by the two-metre animal.
CareFlight Top End said the man had been treated at the Palumpa medical clinic for bites to the chest and arm before he was flown to Darwin in a stable condition.
“CareFlight’s doctor and nurse provided further treatment and ongoing care in the helicopter,” it said.
The Daly river region has a high concentration of crocodiles. In 2015, when flooding forced the mass evacuation of some communities, crocodiles were reportedly seen swimming around town, and had been rumoured to have taken a couple of dogs.
In January a man was killed by a 3.5-metre crocodile at the notorious Cahill’s Crossing causeway between Kakadu national park and Arnhem Land.
Northern Territory police said the 47-year-old man had been attempting to wade across the flooded causeway – which was open only for high-clearance four-wheel-drives – when he was attacked.
In October, rangers and traditional owners called for greater safety measures at Cahill’s Crossing after a woman was filmed shooing away a four-metre crocodile with her thong.
