13-Foot-Long Crocodile Jumps Into Fisherman's Boat in 'Incredibly Rare' Attack

A huge crocodile, potentially measuring up to around 13 feet in length, jumped into a boat with four people on board and injured a 32-year-old man in northern Australia. The incident occurred in Kakadu National Park, located in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) last Saturday night local time, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. The group, who were on a fishing trip, had stopped in the South Alligator River to cook dinner on board their vessel when the crocodile jumped aboard and bit the seat in which the man was sitting.

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The 32-year-old from age city of Wollongong in the eastern state of New South Wales escaped with only minor injuries and was subsequently treated for grazes at a medical center. A spokesperson for NT Health told ABC: "[He] was fishing on the South Alligator river with three friends in a boat on the night of April 24. A crocodile launched into the boat, attacking his seat and injuring the man." The Kakadu National Park crocodile management team said it is now searching for the animal in question. Officials have placed warning signs on the banks of the South Alligator River, notifying the public of the incident, as well as another alligator that has been causing problems in the area. "People camping in Crab Creek be advised a four-meter crocodile has bit a boat," one of the signs read, according to ABC. The other says: "Be advised a four-meter crocodile has been stealing fish and harassing boats." Parks Australia said in a statement it had been notified of the incident and that its wildlife operations team was also looking for the crocodile who bit the boat. Crocodile expert Adam Britton, based in northern Australia, told ABC that incidents like this were "incredibly rare" but noted that these animals were capable of pushing themselves out of the water. "Big crocs can push themselves out of the water, especially if they've got something to rest against like the side of a boat," Britton said. "Apparently, this crocodile actually pushed itself over the gunnels and bit the seat that the guy was sitting in." He said crocodiles have "very powerful tails, they can dip the tail underneath the water and they can literally push themselves by swimming up out of the water. I mean a five-meter croc can lift itself a good meter and a half, maybe two metres, out of the water and most boat gunnels are not as high as that." Britton advised people going fishing at night to avoid cooking in their boats as this could encourage crocodiles to jump into the vessels.