Podcast
Drunk Aussie tries to ride croc
Updated: 2010-07-15 11:10
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An Australian man was lucky to be alive after drunkenly scaling the fence of a crocodile enclosure and trying to take a five-meter (16-foot) beast named "Fatso" for a ride, police said Tuesday.
The 36-year-old jumped the wildlife compound's fence after being ejected from a pub in the northwestern city of Broome late Monday night, and tried to sit on the back of the massive saltwater reptile.
"He first climbed into a compound containing two female crocodiles, before approaching Fatso," police said. "The man was bitten on his right leg as he tried to sit on its back. He managed to escape and make his way back to the pub, where an ambulance was called."
Pub manager Mark Phillips said staff told him that the man reappeared later with bits of bark hanging off him and flesh gouged out of his limbs.
"They said he had chunks out of legs and things like that," Phillips told thewest.com.au.
He underwent surgery for severe lacerations, and park owner Malcolm Douglas said the man was lucky to have survived his encounter with the 800-kilogram (1,800-pound) croc.
"The crocodile didn't kill that guy because it was jammed in the corner," Douglas said.
Douglas said Fatso, one of the largest reptiles in the park, could crush a man with a single bite.
An average of two people are killed each year in Australia by aggressive saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to seven meters long and weigh more than a ton.
Questions:
1. What was the nickname of the croc?
2. How long was the beast?
3. How old was the man riding him?
Answers:
1. Fatso.
2. five meters.
3. 36.
（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.
