Alister MacPhee, 37, waded into the water about knee height at Bloomfield boat ramp, north of Port Douglas, with his rottweiler dog about 5.30pm yesterday.
A video shows a crocodile suddenly lunging from the water and taking a large bite out of the man’s leg before seizing on the dog.
“The owner was punching the back of the crocodile in order to save his dog, but due to the size and how strong the crocodile is he wasn’t able to save his dog,” environmental health and animal management officer Skye Ashworth said.
MacPhee was dragged into the Bloomfield River briefly before he was able to escape to land, nursing the wound on his leg.
It is the first crocodile attack on a human since November 2021.
MacPhee was flown to Cairns for emergency treatment where he is believed to now be in a stable condition in hospital.
Ashworth said MacPhee was lucky the crocodile didn’t get a “good grip” so he was able to walk away relatively uninjured.
“But the dog unfortunately lunged at the crocodile and the crocodile turned around and grabbed a hold of his dog and was taking him into his river,” Ashworth said.
Wildlife Officers from the Department of Environment and Science (DES) are now set to target the crocodile and remove it from the area, in line with the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan.
“After attacking this poor bloke the crocodile now has a taste for human blood so it will now stalk people and become a future risk to everyone,” Ashworth said.
Ashworth said the crocodile is “really really big” and has been around for a long time.
“It’s very known to the Aboriginal community,” Ashworth added.
“It’s a bit hard to tell by the video itself how large the croc is, but it’s large enough to just easily take this rottweiler into the river.”
Josh Patterson from the Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation said one of his rangers found MacPhee in distress after the attack.
”She reported to me that the man said he went to the water’s edge with the dog to get the dog water and was attacked by a crocodile, quite a large crocodile,” he said.
Patterson added MacPhee was lucky to escape the attack alive.
Patterson said the Bloomfield River is well known for crocodiles and people are advised to be careful in the waterways.
“It’s a dangerous place, particularly at this time of year when the rivers are flooding and it’s warm and the crocs are more active,” he said.
Cooktown Mayor Peter Scott said MacPhee was fortunate to escape with his life but it is terribly sad that he lost his pet.
“This bloke was very very lucky, but at the same time he’s lost what may have been his best mate so it’s very very sad,” Scott said.
“It’s awfully tragic that he’s lost a dog who I think was there with him and may have been trying to protect him too.”
The Queensland Government has said the incident “is a timely reminder for people to be Crocwise in croc country and not to be complacent with their own safety or the safety of their family or pets when they are in or near the water”.
People are encouraged to report all crocodile sightings as soon as possible by using the QWildlife App for smart phones or by calling 1300 130 372.
