Saltwater croc attacks worker at Darwin tourist attraction Crocosaurus Cove

A person with knowledge of the incident said it was ‘lucky’ the woman ‘didn’t lose a limb’, while a tourist said he overheard staff discussing the attack and ‘apparently there was a lot of blood’.

Visitors can take an up close look at large saltwater crocodiles during the Cage of Death croc dive.

The Territory’s workplace safety watchdog is investigating after a worker at a popular Darwin tourist attraction was attacked by a saltwater crocodile last month.

It is understood the Crocosaurus Cove staffer was bitten on the arm by 5m saltie Leo while working at the venue on April 29.

A former staff member who still has ties to the venue said they understood the woman had been planting a plant in Leo’s enclosure while leaning over one of the walls when he “got her on the arm”.

Another person with knowledge of the incident said it was “lucky” the worker “didn’t lose a limb”, while a tourist said he overheard staff discussing the attack and “apparently there was a lot of blood”.

The former employee said they understood a “code blue” — indicating a life-threatening emergency — had been called, with a tourniquet ultimately applied by a teenage staff member.

They said it was the first time they had heard of an adult saltie biting anyone at Croc Cove but “there have been issues of people getting bitten by the juvenile crocs”.

“There was a pretty bad bite, probably a year to two years ago now, where an underage staff member actually got bitten by one of the smaller crocodiles,” they said.

One of Crocosaurus Cove’s salties during feeding time. Picture: Che Chorley

A spokesman for NT WorkSafe said the regulator had “commenced an inquiry to verify the information at hand, and to determine the appropriate regulatory response”.

“NT WorkSafe can confirm that a female worker was injured after she was bitten on the arm by a crocodile,” he said.

“Due to patient privacy, we are unable to provide any further details on the injury.

“As our inquiry is ongoing, no further comment will be provided.”

A spokeswoman for St John Ambulance said a 34-year-old woman had been taken to hospital with non-critical injuries.

A spokeswoman for Crocosaurus Cove said there had been “a minor incident at the park”.

“The incident has been managed in accordance with our policy and procedures, with positive outcomes,” she said.

“Out of respect for our team and the staff members involved we will not be making any further comment.”

Originally published as Saltwater croc attacks worker at Darwin tourist attraction Crocosaurus Cove