Always keep crocodiles an arm's length away...

Ouch...

Laying out the world page today, I came across this interesting story about a zookeeper who had his arm ripped off by a crocodile. Went to the AP wire to see if they had a related photo of the scene....AP did one better and captured a picture of the arm still in the crocodile's jaws...not for the squeamish...

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c246/trouserbuddah/Taiwan_Crocodile_At_2963052.jpg

Taiwanese zoo worker has arm reattached after crocodile attack
AP Photo TPE803, TPE805
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A zoo worker had his forearm reattached Thursday after his colleagues recovered the severed limb from the mouth of a 440-pound Nile crocodile, an official said.
The crocodile severed Chang Po-yu’s forearm on Wednesday at the Shaoshan Zoo in the southern city of Kaohsiung when the veterinarian tried to retrieve a tranquilizer dart from the reptile’s hide, zoo officials said.
The Liberty Times newspaper said Chang failed to notice the crocodile was not fully anesthetized when he stuck his arm through an iron rail to medicate it.
As Chang was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday, a zoo worker shot two bullets at the crocodile’s neck to retrieve the forearm, said Chen Po-tsun, a zoo official.
“The crocodile was unharmed as we didn’t find any bullet holes on its hide,” Chen said. “It probably was shocked and opened its mouth to let go of the limb.”
The 17-year-old reptile is one of a pair of Nile crocodiles kept by the Kaohsiung zoo. The crocodile is listed as an endangered species, and is rapidly disappearing from its native African habitat.
Chen said the zoo purchased the crocodile from a local resident who had kept it as a pet.

 

First thing that popped into my mind when I saw this thread title:

 

And Trouser wins the 2007 SportsJournalists.com Siggies award.

 

Two questions:

How can you tell an anesthetized Croc from one that's not?

How the hell can you shoot twice at a Croc from close range and miss?

 

Darwinism at work

 

I think the safe play is always to assume the croc is awake.

 

Wait to retrieve the dart until the sumbitch is TRANQUILIZED!!!!!

 

It reminds me of the video they show on TV every so often....

Fishermen pull a small shark overboard...doofus thinks it's dead and thinks it would be cool to put his hand in the shark's mouth. Shark slams its jaws shut, and doofus and company struggle to get his arm out.

 

Mythbusters was tackling the Hindenburg explosion ... and evading crocs and alligators just the other night.

 

You might be going to hell for that one (I need the company, too). LMAO

 

Greatest show ever.