There has been no trace of the man since Tuesday's attack in a waterhole in the country's tropical north known as "croc country" about 1,560 kilometers (970 miles) from Brisbane, despite a search on boats and a helicopter.

"He was taken out of the canoe by the arm as he tried to fend the crocodile off," a police spokesman said.

The man's wife was able to swim ashore and then drove to a remote station to call for help.

The wetlands area, where the attack took place, is a breeding area for saltwater and estuarine crocodiles. Sign posts throughout the area warn of the dangers of crocodile attacks.

Crocodile hunter Mick Pittman said that it had probably been unwise for the couple to be fishing in a canoe.

"When you're fishing out of a canoe they're pretty game. I'd never go up nowhere near an estuarine river where there's crocs because the first thing he'll do is come up and give you a walloping," Pittman told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

A crocodile attacked a camping site on the Normanby River last October and tried to drag away a 34-year-old man but the man was saved when a 60-year-old woman jumped on its head.

About a dozen people have been killed in crocodile attacks in Australia in the past 20 years.

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/08/17/australia.crocodile.reut/index.html

Submitted on 08/17/2005

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: See link in Story.

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

Jack said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
I'm going to go neutual on this. Perhaps he had seen too many re-runs of "Crocodiles Dundee"? But it is nice to know that our friends in Oz also have people stupid enough to muck around in croc country.

Jack said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
I'm going to go neutual on this. Perhaps he had seen too many re-runs of "Crocodiles Dundee"? But it is nice to know that our friends in Oz also have people stupid enough to muck around in croc country.

Tracy said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
The signs warning of croc attacks would have stopped me! However, more noteworthy to me.... the wife SWAM ashore..... surely you would have been safer paddling like crazy??? Anyway, she made it, he didn't.... potential DA?

Kelly said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
In an area where croc's are common, there's no excuse for adults not to know how dangerous it can be.

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