A tourist was mauled by a crocodile after he climbed into its enclosure for a selfie, mistakenly thinking the animal was a fake.
The 29-year-old man had been visiting Kabug Mangrove Park and Wetlands Zoo in Zambonga Sibugay, Philippines, when he hopped over a fence to pose with the 15-foot croc, named Lalay.
Footage showed the man smiling next to the reptile before it suddenly attacked. The crocodile clamped its jaws around his arm, causing him to scream in pain.
Lalay then bit the tourist’s thighs and attempted a deadly “death roll” — a move crocs use to rip prey apart.
The horrifying scene lasted around 30 minutes while shocked zoo visitors looked on. Zookeepers rushed in, and Lalay’s handler hit the animal with a cement block to force her to release the man.
The tourist was rushed to a hospital and needed 50 stitches for his injuries.
Police Staff Sergeant Joel Sajolga said the man was lucky to be alive. He told local media: “The tourist thought the crocodile was just a plastic figure. He entered the enclosure and was attacked.”
He warned others never to enter zoo enclosures, saying the man not only risked his own life but also endangered others.
Deadly crocodile attacks are not rare. In March, a swimmer in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, was killed after a croc dragged him into a death roll and swam off with his body.
