Teen mauled as friends ‘dare’ him to jump into croc-infested river

SYDNEY: A teenager who took a dare to jump into acrocodileinfested river in Australia is lucky to have survived after being mauled by the predator on Sunday, officials said.

Lee de Paauw, 18, was attacked in the Johnstone River in Innisfail, Queensland, after jumping off from the esplanade. A crocodile mauled his arm, which was barely attached.

“Hopefully surgeons can help him and restore full use of his arm,”Neil Noble, a Queensland paramedic, said.

“Reports from the scene are he was dared to jump into the water, which he did and unfortunately that area is well known for its crocodile population,” he told reporters.

“We are just very grateful that he’s survived this incident because it could have turned out to be quite fatal.”

Crocodiles, one of the most dangerous animals in Australia, are protected species in Queensland. Since a hunting ban in 1971, the crocodile population has recovered from near-extinction.

Queensland saw the first fatal attack in seven years last May, when a New Zealand photographer was killed by a 4-metre saltwater crocodile when she walking with a friend at Thornton Beach.

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