CROC ATTACK IN SARAWAK
He fights off croc twice his size
HE was wading in the chest-deep waters of a river in search of wood when it suddenly appeared in front of him, a crocodile twice his size.
Utusan Malaysia reported that Mr Yahya Jamali, 36, came face to face with the 4m-long monster when he was busy gathering wood around 8am on Thursday in Kampung Pulau Salak in Santubong, Kuching.
Overcome by fear, MrYahya turned to run but the crocodile was quicker - it leapt ahead of him and opened its jaws to grip his head.
He raised his left arm to shield his face and the reptile bit into it instead.
The spunky woodcutter then fought the crocodile for 10 minutes, even though it bit off his ear, part of his chest and broke his left arm.
Said Mr Yahya: 'I felt an excruciating pain... I felt as if my chest was being ripped off.
'My first instinct was just to fight it off with all my energy to stay alive. About 10 minutes later, the crocodile let go of my body. Maybe it was tired. But before it disappeared, it snapped again at me and bit off my left ear.'
He told China Press that despite his fear, he fought the crocodile by throwing punches and kicking blindly.
It is believed that he might have punched the crocodile in the eye, which was probably why the crocodile gave up.
And just in time too, as the exhausted man was nearing the end of his tether.
Mr Yahya said: 'Thank goodness the crocodile was tired because I could not hold it off any longer.'
As the crocodile retreated, Mr Yahya managed to swim to shore despite bleeding badly.
He yelled for his brother, who was working nearby, and was then rushed to Sarawak General Hospital.
His condition is now stable. Doctors say he could be released in one to two weeks.
The woodcutter, who has been working in the area for four years, said this was the first time he had ever experienced such an attack.
His wife, Madam Tipah Omar, 36, told Utusan Malaysia she was informed of the incident by her husband's boss.
She said: 'I'm just so thankful my husband did not die from this crocodile attack.'
Meanwhile, Sarawak forestry officials will undertake a research of the area's crocodile population in the wake of the recent crocodile attacks.
Santubong's MP, Datuk DrWan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, said the reptiles could be moved out of the area if their population is too big.
Experts from America and Australia will be sought for advice.
taken:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...42702,00.html? 
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