A 29 -year -old man, who would have confused a crocodile Living with a statue, was bitten by the animal after being climbed into its enclosure in the Mangroves and wetlands of the Philippines to take a selfie. The man was in the park when he spotted Lalay, the crocodile female, resting inside her park enclosure located on the island of Kabug, in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay.
The tourist, who took the reptile of 4.5 m for a statue, climbed the fence, waded in shallow water and released his mobile phone, before being suddenly attacked by the female. The police arrived on the spot and found that he had been bitten on the right leg, according to the municipal police station in Siay.
“The tourist was walking in the area when he saw the crocodile that he thought was a simple plastic object. He closed the fence and entered the enclosure, and the crocodile attacked him, “said chief sergeant Joel Sajolga, of the SIAY Municipal Police, to the Daily Mail.
This is not a film scene: a man fell yesterday in a crocodile enclosure in Zamboanga Sibugay Philippines. While fighting for his life, some passers -by chose to record a video instead of helping him. 🤯#CrocodileAttack pic.twitter.com/kqRHkLCcey
– Last Spanish hour (@uhespanol) April 30, 2025
“He is very lucky to have survived”
Nanding Panogan, the owner of the crocodile, managed to intervene and save the victim. The latter risked his life by climbing in the enclosure And by violently hitting Lalay’s head with a piece of cement to force her to let go.
Several videos on social networks show Lalay holding man in his mouth and performing a “fatal rolling”, a tactic used by crocodiles to master their prey by performing a sudden rotation to disorient and drown their target, under the cries of witnesses.
🚨 In the Philippines, a 29-year-old man mistook a crocodile in its enclosure for a statue and climbed up for a photo. The female crocodile, known as Lalay, reacted violently and nearly attacked him. A zoo worker managed to intervene and save the man, who later required over 50… pic.twitter.com/SzkeyQsWnA
— The Tradesman (@The_Tradesman1) April 30, 2025
After having agonized 30 minutes in the enclosure, the tourist was taken care of by the doctors who wrapped his arm and his thigh in fabric to stop bleeding, before transporting him in an emergency to a neighboring hospital, where he would have received more than 50 stitches.
“This kind of behavior is very dangerous. No one should never enter the enclosure of an animal with a zoo. He put the lives of other people in danger and he is very lucky to have survived, “said Joel Sajolga. For the time being, the zoo has not communicated on the incident
