A worker at a popular Northern Territory tourist attraction is lucky to be alive after she was attacked by a five-metre saltwater crocodile.
The 34-year-old woman was taken to hospital after she was bitten on the arm by resident saltwater croc Leo while working at Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin on April 29.
It is understood the employee was putting a plant in Leo’s enclosure while leaning over one of the walls when he “got her on the arm”, the NT News reported.
A source told the news outlet that the staff member was lucky she “didn’t lose a limb”.
A tourist claimed he overheard the staff discussing the incident and “apparently there was a lot of blood”.
A former worker, who still has ties to the venue, said a “code blue” alarm — indicating a life-threatening emergency — had been called before the injured employee was treated with a tourniquet.
They said it was the first time an adult salty had attacked anyone at Croc Cove but revealed other staff had been bitten by “juvenile crocs”.
“There was a pretty bad bite, probably a year to two years ago now, where an underage staff member actually got bitten by one of the smaller crocodiles,” they said.
A spokesman for NT WorkSafe confirmed to NT News that a female worker had been mauled and an inquiry had been launched.
“Due to patient privacy, we are unable to provide any further details on the injury,” he said.
“As our inquiry is ongoing, no further comment will be provided.”
A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said a 34-year-old woman had been taken to hospital with non-critical injuries.
A Crocosaurus Cove spokeswoman said the “minor incident” has been managed in accordance with our policy and procedures, “with positive outcomes”.
“Out of respect for our team and the staff members involved we will not be making any further comment,” she said.