Colin Deveraux, an Australian farmer, recently told his amazing tale of survival after he bit back a crocodile to get off its attack.
In the Northern Territory, he came within a hair’s breadth of a ten-foot saltwater crocodile during his employment. Colin had to recuperate from the incident in the hospital for a month.
He described how the adventure started when, on his way to construct fencing close to the Finniss River, he stopped at a billabong (a lake).
According to him “I was in such an awkward position… but by accident, my teeth caught his eyelid. It was pretty thick, like holding onto leather, but I jerked back on his eyelid, and he let go.
“I leapt away and took off with great steps up to where my car was. He chased me for a bit, maybe four metres, but then stopped.”
He noticed fish swimming in the lake and, while stepping away, the crocodile suddenly latched onto his right foot, violently shaking him.
In his struggle to survive, Colin first tried to kick the crocodile, but it didn’t work. In a desperate move, he bit the crocodile’s eyelid.
His teeth caught onto the tough eyelid like leather, but he managed to jerk back, and the crocodile let go. Colin quickly escaped to his car, with the crocodile chasing him for a short distance before stopping.
However he admitted, if he had been bitten somewhere else, the story would have been different, “If he [the crocodile] had bitten me somewhere else it would have been different,” he said.
“It means I’ve got to change what I do. I’ve been walking around that swamp country too long fixing fences and living life, but it’s opened my eyes.”
Colin used a towel and some rope to stop the bleeding on his leg, and his brother rushed him to the Royal Darwin Hospital, 80 miles away. He reflected on the experience, realizing how lucky he was and that it had changed his perspective on life.
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Crocodiles are protected by law in the Northern Territory and are of significant scientific and human interest, serving as a valuable tourist attraction.