A daredevil who pulled a crocodile’s tail then rested his hands on its back came to regret it – after the angry reptile snapped back and sank its jaws into him.
Border security guard Simson Paulus, 41, who was by the Etaka waterhole in Epalela, Namibia, ignored repeated warnings to leave the 10-foot Nile crocodile alone but seemed amused by his bravado.
But within seconds, the angry crocodile whipped its head round and grabbed the hapless goader in its powerful jaws by the left arm.
Fortunately the croc released terrified Paulus who was left with blood pouring from numerous tooth wounds to his mangled forearm.
Horrifying footage posted to Facebook shows the fearless security guard petting the animal.
Although the crocodile seems un-phased at first, it suddenly spins around to launch its attack and latch onto the man’s arm.
While the video doesn’t show Paulus getting bitten, the crocodile splashes around in the water as onlookers scream and run to safety.
The security guard had to walk Outapi Hospital where he had to get dozens of stitches. He remains in a stable condition.
A man who pulled a crocodile’s tail at the Etaka waterhole in Epalela, Namibia was left with a mangled arm after the beast gnawed its teeth into him
The attack came after border security guard Simson Paulus, 41, was told to leave the 10ft croc alone
Regional councillor Festus Petrus said: ‘He was among a number of onlookers pulling the crocodiles tail and was warned to stay away.
‘He then put both his hands on the crocodiles back and there was a huge whoosh of water as its head ripped round and it attacked.
‘People were falling into the water in shock and screaming but in a blink of an eye it was so fast the crocodile had his arm in its jaws.
‘It was the luckiest day of his life that it didn’t pull him into deeper water and eat him but it let go and the man ran as if for his life.
‘The crocodile did not chase him but as it later turned out it has been hit by a taxi while crossing the road and had been badly injured.
‘If it was not for that fact then that man would not be alive’ he said.
Officials from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism with a vet turned up a short time later and assessed the crocodile’s injuries.
It was decided in the reptile’s best interests to euthanise it as it was thought the taxi that hit it by the Etaka Dam caused internal injuries.
Paulus had to rush to hospital, where he had to get dozens of stitches following the violent attack
Councillor Petrus said:’It would have died slowly if it was not killed’.
Ministry of Environment and Tourism spokesman Ndeshipanda Hamunyela said the public should not provoke the crocodiles.
She said: ‘It goes against the policy on human-wildlife management and the public should not ever touch wildlife especially predators.
‘If left undisturbed the crocodile even after the vehicle collision would likely not have posed an immediate threat to members of the public.
‘They should always contact the proper authorities for assistance in capturing wild animals instead of approaching and touching them’.
The Nile crocodile is the largest predator in Africa growing up to 20 ft long and weighing up to 90kg.
It is an ambush predator that can lie in wait for weeks for its prey and once its jaws snap shut it is impossible to prise them open again.
They Nile Crocodile kills some 1000 people a year in Africa.
The attack comes just over a week after a seven-year-old boy was left fighting for his life after a crocodile ripped off his arm while he was playing in shallow water during a fishing trip at the Roodekoppies Dam near the town of Brits in South Africa.
Young Johandre Blom was reportedly playing in the water with his pal Dylan just a few feet from where their parents were fishing when he was attacked by the large reptile.
The victim’s father, Corne, was about 25 metres away from the caravan where he was sitting with Dylan’s father, Jannie Bekker.
Speaking to local media, Bekker described how he suddenly heard his little boy Dylan scream.
‘I saw him grab Johandre by the arm, but there was a big jerk and then Johandre was away from Dylan.
‘Dylan shouted, “there’s a crocodile here”, and Corne and I immediately ran to the water.’
Johandre was thrown around by the crocodile in its powerful jaws before his father and Bekker reached the water and managed to pull him free, but the little boy’s left arm had been ripped off.
They applied towels to the wound before rushing him to hospital by car, where medics managed to stabilise Johandre.
He was then flown by helicopter to hospital in Alberton, where he was reportedly placed in an induced coma and is currently in stable condition.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .