Crocodile Handler Dies After Being Pulled Into Water During Feeding at Papua New Guinea Wildlife Park

A worker died after being dragged into the water by a crocodile at Adventure Park in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.Chaicks Marn / Facebook

A crocodile handler has died after a routine feeding session at a wildlife park in Papua New Guinea turned into a desperate rescue effort witnessed by visitors.

The worker was inside the crocodile enclosure at Adventure Park in Port Moresby on Saturday afternoon when the animal grabbed him and pulled him toward the water. Footage later shared online appeared to show the handler clinging to the edge of the pool as people nearby tried to keep him from being dragged farther in.

Despite the efforts to free him and emergency treatment at hospital, the man died the following morning.

Feeding demonstration turns into emergency

The employee had been trying to feed chicken to the crocodile.Chaicks Marn / Facebook

According to eyewitness Gibson John, the handler had approached the enclosure with a chicken as part of the crocodile’s feeding routine when the situation suddenly changed.

“He brought the chicken to the fence and the crocodile attacked the person and tried to bring him into the pool,” John told ABC News.

Video from the scene appeared to show the worker gripping the side of the pool while the crocodile held his legs. A large crowd gathered around the enclosure as those nearby attempted to find a way to help.

At one point, someone offered the handler a pole through the fence. Another person could later be seen holding onto his arms from the edge of the pool as efforts continued to keep him above the water.

John said the crocodile held the man’s legs for more than an hour before emergency responders were able to reach the scene.

“We couldn’t assist at that time, [but] I managed to contact the St John’s Ambulance,” he said.

John said security staff at the park did not have firearms available and instead gave the trapped worker a small iron rod while everyone waited for police and ambulance crews to arrive.

Witness recalls worker’s final words during ordeal

The man was taken to 3 Mile General Hospital for treatment but died from his injuries on Sunday.Chaicks Marn / Facebook

John described the handler as being in extreme distress but struggling to speak.

“He was in severe pain but he couldn’t scream,” he recalled. “He couldn’t speak properly at that time. It was the pain I could see from his eyes.”

According to John, the only words he could clearly make out were: “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Visitors were eventually moved away from the enclosure as police and emergency services worked to end the incident.

Police reportedly shot the crocodile before the worker could finally be freed.

John said he later learned that the handler, who was from the Western Islands in northern Papua New Guinea, had lost a leg before being taken away for treatment.

“I’ve never seen something like this before. I couldn’t believe what I saw,” he said.

Handler taken to hospital but dies the next morning

A closing notice at Adventure Park.ABC News (Australia)

After being freed, the man was transported by St John Ambulance to 3 Mile General Hospital in Port Moresby.

He remained under medical care but died from his injuries at approximately 7 a.m. on Sunday, a day after the attack.

The man’s name was not disclosed in the initial reports.

ABC reported that he was understood to have worked at Adventure Park for around two years.

The park was subsequently closed until further notice. Staff members who had witnessed the incident were reportedly gathering at a funeral home on Sunday as preparations were made following their colleague’s death.

Adventure Park regularly holds crocodile feeding demonstrations

Entrance sign for Adventure Park in Papua New Guinea.ABC News (Australia)

Adventure Park is a popular wildlife attraction in Papua New Guinea’s capital and regularly stages crocodile feeding sessions in which staff work in close proximity to the reptiles.

The Saturday incident occurred during one of those feeding periods. ABC Pacific identified the animal involved as a saltwater crocodile.

Previous footage from the park has shown workers interacting closely with crocodiles during feeding demonstrations, although reports cautioned that it was not known whether the handler involved in Saturday’s incident appeared in any of those earlier videos.

The shocking episode unfolded in front of numerous visitors, several of whom remained around the enclosure while attempts were made to rescue the trapped employee.

The footage circulating from the scene captured only part of what witnesses described as an ordeal lasting more than an hour.

For John, one of the people who tried to summon help, the most lasting memory was the handler’s condition as he fought to remain at the pool’s edge while waiting for emergency services.

Adventure Park remained closed following the worker’s death as staff mourned the loss of a colleague who had spent roughly two years working at the attraction.

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