'Lucky to be alive': 60-year-old uses pocket knife to fight off crocodile

Imagine being on the other end ofa fight with a crocodile. A 60-year-old found himself in such a situation in Australia and used a pocket knife to fight against a crocodile to rescue himself.

According to Queensland state environment department's Matt Brien, ''There was a struggle and he, fortunately, escaped the grip of a four to four-and-a-half-metrecrocodile. The odds of doing that are about zero.''

Wildlife officials said that the man was extremely ''lucky to be alive.''

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The terrifying attack took place at a remote riverbank in Australia's far northern Cape York Peninsula.

He grabbed onto the branch of a mangrove tree in a desperate attempt to stay out of the river as the crocodile's jaws clamped around his boots.

He managed to retrieve his knife from his belt and stabbed the crocodile in its head until it let him go.

"It's an absolutely harrowing experience. He won't forget that in a long time," Brien told reporters.

After emergency treatment at Cooktown Hospital, he was later flown to Cairns Hospital where he was still recovering a week later.

Brien said the man had been left "quite traumatised" by the incident, adding he would need "time for healing, both mentally and physically".

Saltwater crocodile numbers have exploded in Australia's "croc country" since they were declared a protected species in 1971, with attacks increasing in recent years.

The "salties", which can grow up to seven metres long and weigh more than a tonne, are a common feature of the vast continent's tropical north.

Fatalities remain relatively rare, with locals and visitors warned to keep their distance from crocodile-inhabited waterways.

(With inputfrom agencies)