Adventure Park in Port Moresby
Adventure Park in Port Moresby

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea — A wildlife park worker has died after being attacked by a crocodile during a feeding demonstration at Adventure Park in Port Moresby, prompting the facility to close indefinitely as staff mourn his death.

The man, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, was inside a fenced crocodile enclosure at the park on Saturday afternoon when he was attacked and dragged into the water. He was taken to 3 Mile General Hospital for treatment but died from his injuries early Sunday morning, at approximately 7 a.m. local time.

Eyewitness Gibson John told the ABC that the man was attacked while attempting to feed the crocodile as part of the park's regular routine.

"He brought the chicken to the fence and the crocodile attacked the person and tried to bring him into the pool," John said.

According to John, onlookers were initially unable to intervene directly given the danger posed by the animal.

"We couldn't assist at that time, but I managed to contact the St John's Ambulance," John said.

John said the crocodile kept the man's legs in its jaws for more than an hour before emergency responders arrived at the scene.

"The security guards had no guns, but gave him a small iron rod to use until the police and St John's Ambulance came," John said.

Video circulated on social media appeared to show the worker clinging to the edge of the enclosure's pool as bystanders attempted to help him, with the crocodile's jaws visibly clamped around his legs. One bystander extended a pole through the enclosure fencing in an attempt to assist him, while another person could be seen supporting him from the edge of the pool as a crowd gathered around the scene.

John described the visible pain the man was experiencing during the extended ordeal, even as he was unable to vocalize it clearly.

"He was in severe pain but he couldn't scream," John said. "He couldn't speak properly at that time. It was the pain I could see from his eyes. The only thing I could hear him say was, 'I haven't done anything wrong.'"

According to John, visitors were ushered out of the park during the incident, while police reportedly shot the crocodile before the man could be freed from its grip. John said he was later told that the man, who was originally from the Western Islands in northern Papua New Guinea, had lost a leg in the attack before being transported to the hospital.

"I've never seen something like this before. I couldn't believe what I saw," John said.

The Adventure Park in Port Moresby regularly holds crocodile feeding demonstrations for visitors, during which staff members interact closely with the reptiles housed at the facility. The handler involved in Saturday's attack is understood to have worked at the park for approximately two years prior to the incident.

Following the man's death, Adventure Park has been closed until further notice. Staff members who witnessed the attack were reported to be gathering at a funeral home Sunday as arrangements were made for the worker's funeral.

Crocodile attacks involving wildlife park handlers and workers, while relatively rare given the controlled conditions typically maintained at such facilities, do occur periodically around the world, often during feeding demonstrations or routine enclosure maintenance when animals may perceive food, sudden movement or unfamiliar objects as triggers for predatory behavior. Saltwater crocodiles, the species commonly found in Papua New Guinea and across parts of northern Australia and Southeast Asia, are among the largest living reptiles and are capable of exerting an extremely powerful bite force, often subduing prey through a rolling motion sometimes referred to as a "death roll," which can cause severe trauma and drowning even in cases where victims are eventually freed from the animal's grip.

Papua New Guinea shares crocodile habitat and cultural traditions surrounding the animals with neighboring regions across the Asia-Pacific, where saltwater crocodiles hold both ecological and, in various local traditions, symbolic significance. Wildlife facilities across the broader region, including in Australia, have periodically faced scrutiny following incidents involving staff or visitors and the crocodiles housed at their enclosures, prompting recurring conversations about enclosure safety protocols and the risks inherent in close-contact animal demonstrations involving large predatory reptiles.

Papua New Guinea authorities had not, as of Sunday, announced whether Saturday's incident would prompt any formal safety review or regulatory response affecting Adventure Park or other similar wildlife facilities operating within the country. The park's operators have not issued a detailed public statement beyond confirming the closure, and it remains unclear when, or under what conditions, the facility might eventually reopen to the public.

The circumstances surrounding Saturday's attack, including the apparent lack of firearms among on-site security personnel and the extended length of time before emergency responders and police arrived at the scene, may draw additional scrutiny in the coming days as officials and the park's management review what happened and whether existing safety measures at the facility were adequate for the risks associated with its crocodile feeding demonstrations.

For now, Adventure Park remains closed as staff and the local community process the loss of a worker who colleagues and witnesses described as having dedicated roughly two years of his life to caring for and interacting with the animals housed at the facility, a role that on Saturday afternoon ended in tragedy during what had been intended as a routine feeding demonstration.

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