Australia’s ‘Barefoot Bushman’ could lose part of hand due to croc attack

Another crocodile handler was bitten on the hand by the reptile while feeding the beast. The Thursday attack on Rob Bredl, more known as the Barefoot Bushman, occurred six months after a similar incident involving Renee Robertson who was feeding a croc at the Billabong Sanctuary in Queensland.

Bredl almost lost part of his hand after a 4.5-metre crocodile tried to drag him into the water while he was feeding it at his Wild Farm at Bloomsbury in front of shocked tourists just after noon. Some bystanders, including tourists, helped control Bredl’s bleeding while waiting for the arrival of the paramedics.

The Barefoot Bushman had a severe laceration on his left hand and some bite marks on his lower leg, according to a spokeswoman of Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), reports News.com.au. The croc attacked him on land, but it tried to drag Bredl to a nearby water. However, he was able to get away before being submerged, recalls Heather Shields, advanced care paramedic of QAS.

He was rushed on Thursday night from Mackay Base Hospital to the Royal Brisbane Hospital where he went through surgery. His hand may require minor amputation after the croc crushed the limb inside its mouth.

However, despite the attack, Bredl remains in high spirits, says his staff at the farm. Despite the surgery, he was up and walking about in the hospital, says his family, reports Courier Mail.

According to John Lever, owner of Koorana Crocodile Farm, Bredl worked with crocodiles all his life. “He’s one of the last persons I’d expect to be nailed by a crocodile, he’s very experienced,” says Lever. He explains the attack to the croc spiking up as it became sexually active and territorial at this time of the year.

A similar incident happened to Bredl’s niece, Karla, in 1997 when a four-metre croc at the Bredl’s Wildlife Park at Cannonvale attacked her. She suffered a broken pelvic and thigh bone.

VIDEO: Catching Crocodiles with Rob Bredl aka Barefoot Bushman