Zoo owner fed his thumb to pet crocodile Macca during feeding show
“He had a chicken in one hand, and he was trying to get the attention of Macca the crocodile with his hat, holding it in his left hand,” says RACQ Careflight spokesman Brian Russell of Ian Jenkins, owner of the Snakes Downunder Reptile Park and Zoo. Mr Jenkins had been playing with his pet crocodile to entertineing the crowds.
“Unfortunately the crocodile has come up and bitten the hat and his hand and has unfortunately amputated his left thumb. The crocodile actually dragged the handler under the water. He suffered a significant hand injury and … he also had a fairly sizeable laceration to his head.”
“It is as simple as Macca took a swipe at him and actually connected,” says Ian’s wife Barbara. “I do know his left hand is badly damaged … we had another person in the enclosure – if it wasn’t for her quick thinking getting the attention away from Ian it would have been worse.”
The quality of Mr Jenkins’ chickens is not known, but when your crocodiles prefer to eat a hat, it’s time for a new recipe…
Posted: 5th, January 2015 | In: Strange But True Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
