Giant crocodile attacks handler as live show takes shocking turn

Shocking footage has emerged showing the moment a humungous crocodile nicknamed 'Hannibal' turned on his handler.

It's safe to say being a crocodile handler is not for the faint-hearted - even after years of practice you never know when wild animals might attack.

Unfortunately one of the workers at the Crocodile Creek farm and wildlife centre in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, learned this the hard way when a demonstration went awry on Sunday (10 September).

Thankfully he wasn't seriously injured as a result of the incident, but it was definitely a close shave. Take a look:

As you'll see, the handler – named Sean – was going about his business feeding the crocs as park visitors watched on in amazement.

After lobbing a whole chicken to the smaller female reptile, he then sits on the back of Hannibal – a 78-year-old Nile crocodile measuring 4.8m and weighing whopping 660kgs.

At this point Sean tells the crowd: "This is the only crocodile in South Africa that I can sit on its back."

Perhaps tempting fate, as he explains that the beast has a 60cm bite area and a 66cm head, the smaller croc starts to nip at him.

As soon as Hannibal notices, he swings his head round to chomp on the handler's side.

Sean is quickly pushed down to the ground, screaming 'YEOWCH' as he goes.

Although it looks bad, Sean escaped relatively unscathed - other than a couple of teeth holes and some bruising.

According to The South African, Crocodile Creek reassured viewers, stating: "Sean sewed up the holes himself and came back to work 20mins later."

The wildlife park added: "It was because the female was moving in on him, and she is very stroppy. So Sean was watching the female, and Hannibal just reminded him that he was there.

"If Hannibal had done a proper bite, it would have been very bad. Like every job. There is always a chance of injuries."

Some more than others, with Sean's definitely falling into the higher risk category.

Looking at Crocodile Creek's social media pages, though, it's clear the handler has a passion for his work.

He's often seen sat on the back of Hannibal, so it's clear they've got a good working relationship - must've just been feeling a bit snappy (pun fully intended) that day.

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Topics: Animals, World News, Viral

Daisy Phillipson

Daisy graduated from Kingston University with a degree in Magazine Journalism, writing a thesis on the move from print to digital publishing. Continuing this theme, she has written for a range of online publications including Digital Spy and Little White Lies, with a particular passion for TV and film. Contact her on [email protected]

@DaisyWebb77