It’s believed that he thought the crocodile was a statue, so decided to climb into the animal’s enclosure
A man visiting a zoo in the Philippines climbed into a crocodile enclosure to take a selfie with the animal and ended up getting attacked by the croc as a result.
The 29-year-old tourist allegedly confused the genuine reptile for a statue during his visit to the zoo on April 28, climbed over a fence, and waded through water to approach the crocodile before taking out his phone for a selfie.
A throng of spectators urged the man to retreat from the enclosure; however, he disregarded their warnings, and as he approached the 15-foot-long lethal creature known as Lalay, it lunged at him.
The crocodile’s jaws snapped into his arm, with the man screaming in pain as Lalay’s teeth sunk into his flesh.
She refused to allow him to escape, subsequently biting into his thigh and rolling him over multiple times as she endeavored to subject the tourist to the frightening ‘death roll’.
The tourist claimed he thought the crocodile was a statue because it wasn’t moving, so climbed in for a selfie (ViralPress)
The tourist reportedly spent up to 30 minutes trapped inside the crocodile enclosure at Kabug Mangrove Park and Wetlands Zoo before being rescued by a zoo handler.
According to witnesses, the handler intervened by striking the crocodile, named Lalay, on the head with a piece of cement, forcing her to release the man from her jaws.
The injured tourist was then treated for multiple bleeding wounds and rushed to the hospital, where he received over 50 stitches.
In a statement from the Siay Municipal Police, Staff Sergeant Joel Sajolga confirmed the details: “The tourist was walking around the area when he saw the crocodile, which he mistakenly believed was a plastic statue. He climbed over the fence and entered the enclosure, where the crocodile attacked him.”
Sajolga emphasized the recklessness of the act, adding, “This kind of behavior is extremely dangerous. No one should ever enter an animal’s enclosure. He not only endangered himself but also others—and he’s very fortunate to have survived.”
The crocodile bit him several times and tried to death roll the man, who was rushed to hospital afterwards (ViralPress)
Police later revealed that several zookeepers were present at the time of the incident but failed to prevent the 29-year-old tourist from climbing over the fence and approaching the crocodile for a selfie.
Eyewitnesses expressed disbelief at the man’s actions, with many questioning his judgment. “We’re glad he survived, but we don’t understand why he would do something so reckless,” one observer said.
Onlooker Canete Jie echoed the sentiment, stating, “We’re just thankful the man is alive and the crocodile eventually let him go.” Jie also noted that, surprisingly, the man’s legs were not broken during the violent attack.
Locals who captured video of the incident said the tourist waded through the shallow pool to pose beside the animal, mistakenly believing it was a life-size statue due to its stillness. The crocodile, named Lalay, remained motionless until the man got too close—then struck.
Featured Image Credit: ViralPress