Australian man escapes crocodile attack by prying its jaws open with bare hands

A man had a close encounter with death when a saltwater crocodile assaulted him while he was snorkelling in Australia's Queensland. Marcus McGowan, aged 51, was enjoying some time underwater near Cape York on Haggerstone Island with his wife and friends when the attack occurred. McGowan saved himself by prying open the crocodile’s jaws to free his head. In a report by the South China Morning Post, the Australian claimed that he managed to create enough space with his hands to escape. The crocodile made a second attempt to attack him, but he successfully pushed it away, sustaining lacerations on his right hand.Marcus McGowan then swam towards a nearby boat that had responded to the group’s distress calls. Once on the boat, a friend provided immediate medical assistance by bandaging McGowan’s wounds and administering antibiotic injections.Following the incident, McGowan was airlifted to a nearby hospital via helicopter and later transferred to Cairns for additional medical care. In a statement, he acknowledged his awareness of the inherent dangers associated with swimming in the open sea.McGowan said, “When you enter the marine environment, you are entering territory that belongs to potentially dangerous animals, such as sharks and crocodiles.” He stated that his unfortunate encounter was a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong moment.In a statement by the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, McGowan described that he initially mistook the creature for a shark. Upon reaching out, he realised it was a crocodile. He estimated the reptile to be a young one, measuring between 1.8 to 3 meters in length. Adult saltwater crocodiles can grow up to 6 metres.The incident will be reportedly subject to investigation by Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science, as reported by The Guardian. Crocodile populations in Queensland have been gradually increasing, accompanied by a rise in non-fatal attacks. While fatal incidents involving humans are relatively uncommon in the state, a recent case involving the discovery of a fisherman’s remains inside two crocodiles in May confirmed the occurrence of a deadly attack.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.