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Brave Teen Fought Off Giant Crocodile Trying To Drag Him Under Water To Eat Him Alive
The 19-year-old was fishing in the Northern Territory, Australia, with his 10-year-old brother and older cousin at about 8 pm when the beast pounced
Zefha Butcher on the right who had a near-death experience (Image: NT News)
A brave teenager has revealed how he fought off a huge crocodile that had him in its jaws while on a fishing trip.
Zefha Butcher had a near-death experience in Australia after the croc attacked him from behind and attempted to death-roll him in the water.
The 19-year-old was fishing off Groote Eylandt, in the Northern Territory, with his 10-year-old brother and older cousin at about 8 pm when the beast pounced.
"When we were first walking in the water I saw a couple of fish swimming, then there were lots of fish everywhere, then they disappeared", Zefha told NT News.
The reptile had also been killing and threatening dogs in the area too. (Image:
NT News)He explains how he said he felt a bump on the back of his leg before the crocodile clamped its jaws around his waist.
He continued: "It was hard, like being hit by a car. Then it grabbed me at the top of my waist between my hip bone and thigh and tried to lift me out of the water then fling me into the water in a death roll."
He said the crocodile would not let go and kept trying to drag him down into the water.
Zefha's brother and cousin rushed to the shore to seek out help as the Croc continued to try to kill him but he managed to poke the beast in the eye,
"It took a couple of tries but I was able to get with my thumb first and it didn't let go then I got it an eye with my finger and it opened its mouth", Zefha said.
Remarkably he survived the whole ordeal with just a few cuts and scrapes with bruising and bleeding from the bite marks to his legs, thighs and hand.
The teen's treatment was mainly wound sterilisation and he was sent home after several days in hospital earlier this month.
Rangers captured and killed the 5.4-metre crocodile near Milkala Beach just days after the attack - having identified the croc by the white finger mark in its eye.
The reptile had also been killing and threatening dogs in the area too.
Relatives and locals have hailed Zefha a hero after he put the welfare of his cousin and brother before himself.
Elsewhere in the world, a crocodile farmer for northern Cambodia died after he fell into an enclosure on a reptile farm holding 40 crocs.
The Cambodian man, named only as Nam in reports, was eaten alive after he had been trying to transport a crocodile out of a cage as it had laid eggs.
Read More Read More Read More Read More Read MoreSnorkeler Fights Off Crocodile After It Clamps Jaws On His Head: 'I Thought It Was A Shark'
Marcus McGowan, 51, got attacked from behind while snorkeling and managed to pry the reptile's jaws off his head during the horrifying encounter
© Provided by People Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images Saltwater Crocodile An Australian man is celebrating after fighting off a saltwater crocodile that latched its jaws onto his head.
The terrifying incident happened while Marcus McGowan, 51, was snorkeling at a remote vacation resort in northern Queensland.
BBC News reported that McGowan was able to force the reptile's jaws off his head during the horrifying encounter and was then airlifted to a local hospital.
"I thought it was a shark but when I reached up, I realized it was a crocodile," McGowan told the BBC about the attack, which happened while he was in the water with a group of people near the remote Haggerstone Island. "I was able to lever its jaws open just far enough to get my head out," he added.
© Provided by People Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images Saltwater Crocodile The crocodile then launched at him again, biting his hand, but McGowan, a "keen surfer and diver," according to CNN, was able to brush it away.
"I was able to escape the crocodile's grip once again and swim to the safety of the boat which was coming after they heard our screams for help," McGowan said in a statement to The Guardian.
Related: 2 American Tourists Attacked by Crocodile During Night Swim in Mexico
The area where McGowan was snorkeling is known as "croc country," according to the outlet, which added that McGowan has now been transferred to Cairns Hospital for "treatment of scalp lacerations and puncture wounds on his head and hand."
"When you enter the marine environment, you are entering territory that belongs to potentially dangerous animals, such as sharks and crocodiles," added McGowan, who estimated the animal was roughly 2-3 meters (6-10 feet) in size. "I was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time."
Related: 770-Pound Crocodile Caught at Australian Tourist Destination — The Area's Largest in Years!
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Billy Collet, the operations manager at Australia Reptile Park told The Guardian that "crocodiles are the hardest-biting animal on the planet," but he explained that the animals do seem to let go when people fight back.
"He probably scared the croc which realized it grabbed something too big to handle," he added.
The Queensland Government did not immediately reply to PEOPLE's request for information on the attack.
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Read the original article on People.
Crocodile In Satellite Beach Driveway Seeks Refuge In Culvert. FWC Relocated The 9-footer
Video: 9-foot crocodile swimming in Melbourne Beach traveled here from Key Largo
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Alligators in Florida are nothing new. Crocodiles in Florida are nothing new.
But ... Another American crocodile was spotted in Brevard, the third sighting in just over a month and the fourth time a crocodile has been recorded in this area in less than six months.
The most recent sighting happened May 18 on a driveway on South Patrick Drive in Satellite Beach.
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"Earlier today we received a call from a resident about a "crocodile" that mysteriously appeared in his driveway. Our patrol units arrived just as the endangered American Crocodile took refuge in the culvert drainpipe. Our officers swiftly issued a trespass warning 🤣 and called in our partners at FWC for an assist. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent trappers out to safely trap and relocate the 9-foot croc that was tagged with a tracking device. It was a happy ending for the croc, and just another eventful day for the SBPD!"
Just chilling in a drain pipe. Crocodile spotted (again!) in Melbourne Beach
Gator attack: Man bitten by alligator in Port Charlotte, flown to hospital with 'significant' injuries
Say cheese? Shark caught, released along Florida beach provides awesome photo, video opportunity
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Shared from FacebookThe American crocodile is one of the largest crocodile species. Males can reach lengths of 20 feet, weighing up to a ton. Like any other large crocodilian, they can be dangerous to humans, especially if we feed them, but tend not to be as aggressive as Asian and African crocodiles.
Below is a roundup of recent crocodile sightings on beachside in Brevard as well as crocodile tales from years past.
Crocodile on Sixth Avenue river access in Melbourne BeachAn American crocodile was spotted recently in Melbourne Beach, according to the town's police department. It's at least the third time a crocodile has been seen in that area in less than six months.
On May 9, Melbourne Beach Police posted photos of the crocodile and warned people not to feed the reptile, according to its Facebook page: "Florida Fish and Wildlife is aware of this croc hanging around Sixth Avenue River Access and the Key Streets. They (estimate) his age to be about 10 years old. ... This crocodile has been tagged with a telemetry unit to track him. There are less than 12 statewide that are wearing this unit. They picked him because he's one of the northernmost American crocodiles, and they want to follow where he goes in the winter.He is federally protected, so please do not mess with or feed him; it is a felony."
Ahem! If you see a crocodile in Florida, use proper caution. Here's what you should know about them
(Lots of) rare sightings: Over the years, Brevard residents have spotted an American crocodile
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Shared from Facebook Crocodile from Key Largo ended up at Melbourne Beach
© Photo courtesy of Ian Gronosky Photography This 9-foot-long American crocodile born in Key Largo is 16 years old. When he was a juvenile, he was hit twice by cars back to back and spent time in rehab before being released. After rehab, he traveled from Key Largo over the years and ended up in Melbourne Beach in December 2022. FWC said he got pretty beat up when trying to live in the ocean and ended up being captured, had a transmitter added and released in Archie Carr. Ian Gronosky, a commercial drone pilot, posted a video April 16, 2023, of a crocodile swimming in his backyard in Melbourne Beach (see video at the top of this story). His caption states: "The American Crocodile. (Yes, in our backyard) He is 9 feet long. He was born in Key Largo and is 16 years old. When he was a juvenile, he was hit twice by cars back to back and spent some time in rehab before being released. Since being released, he traveled from Key Largo over the years and ended up on our beachside around December this last year (2022). FWC said he got pretty beat up when trying to live in the ocean and ended up being captured, had a transmitter added and released in Archie Carr." Information from FWC, via Joy Gilbert.
Crocodile was sunning himself on the sand in Melbourne BeachRelated Facebook post
Shared from FacebookOn Dec. 4, 2022, Pedro Tellez, a land management technician with Brevard's Environmentally Endangered Lands Program, saw an 8-foot crocodile hanging out on the dunes near the county's Barrier Island Sanctuary in Melbourne Beach.
Waves crash over crocodile on shore in shallow waters by Sebastian InletVideo: Crocodile on shore at Sebastian Inlet beach in Florida
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In November 2022, Tiara Weethee spent an hour hanging around the beach at sunset − and words can hardly describe what she saw. Weethee found an American crocodile getting lapped up by waves on the beach south of Sebastian Inlet by McLarty Treasure Museum in Florida. Sebastian Inlet is just past Melbourne Beach and is on the border of Brevard County and Indian River County, or the Space Coast and the Treasure Coast.
At first, Weethee thought it was an alligator in the shallow waters needing help to get back into freshwater. Once she realized it was a crocodile − this one without a tracking device − she kept her distance and filmed it on her phone. "I won't probably ever get to see this again in my life. I'm going to hang out until the sun is gone," she said in her video (see above), which has gotten thousands of views on YouTube and TikTok.
Crocodile chills on a dock in IndialanticJust ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, a crocodile, estimated to be 8- to 10-feet-long, was spotted on a dock in Indialantic on Feb. 25, 2020. A few days later on March 3, 2020, there was another sighting of the reptile. Sara Sutton, then 18, hopped on a kayak to get a closer look: "He likes to bask at certain times of the day," Sutton, a 2019 graduate of Melbourne Central Catholic, told FLORIDA TODAY.
Crocodile starts residents at South Patrick Shores neighborhoodOn Dec. 17, 2019, a crocodile lingered in a neighborhood in South Patrick Shores, causing a stir among residents. The reptile was seen in the Berkeley Street canal in South Patrick Shores. He laid in the sun, walked in backyards and swam in the canal. South Patrick Shores is south of Patrick Space Force Base, between Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach.
Crocodile caught at the Cocoa Beach Pier and in CocoaIn a December 2022 story, trapper Frank "Alligator" Robb told FLORIDA TODAY about the time he caught a crocodile at the Cocoa Beach Pier.
"They're a secretive animal just like the alligator is," Robb had said about crocodiles. "Historically their range was supposed to be into the Carolinas. In 2009, I captured one in the surf at the Cocoa Beach Pier. That was the farthest north one has been documented."
But, he added, they've shown up in this area for decades: "In 1991, my uncle Bill Robb caught a 10-foot, 4-inch female at the Sheriff's Farm in Cocoa," Robb said. "The one I had captured in the surf was marked and from the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant."
Contributing: Jim Waymer, FLORIDA TODAY
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Crocodile in Satellite Beach driveway seeks refuge in culvert. FWC relocated the 9-footer
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