Croc attack: Northern Territory teen battles 5.4metre crocodile

An Aussie teenager has relived the terrifying moment he was trapped in the jaws of a 5.4 metre crocodile but managed to save himself from certain death by poking it in the eye to escape.

The man-eating beast was later tracked down and identified by the fingerprint in its eye before it was killed by rangers. 

Zefha Butcher, 19, was fishing in waters near Malkala Outstation Beach, Northern Territory, with his 10-year-old brother and adult cousin Travis at about 8pm when he was attacked. 

The trio were wading through the murky water when the 19-year-old sensed the presence of a crocodile after fish they were trying to catch suddenly disappeared. 

‘When we were first walking in the water I saw a couple of fish swimming, then there were lots of fish everywhere, then they disappeared,’ Zefha told NT News. 

The Groote Eylandt teenager said he felt a ‘bump’ on the back of his leg before the crocodile clamped its jaws around his waist and tried perform a death-roll. 

‘It was hard, like being hit by a car. Then it grabbed me at the top of my waist between my hip bone and thigh and tried to lift me out of the water then fling me into the water in a death-roll,’ Zefha said. 

Zefha said the crocodile tried to roll with him between its jaws but could not lift him because he was too big. 

However, the crocodile would not let go and kept trying to drag Zefha down into the water. 

Zefha’s brother and cousin rushed to the safety of the bank and ran for help as Zefha continued his fight with the mammoth reptile. 

The quick-thinking teenager twisted his body between the crocodile’s jaws and positioned himself so he could pole the reptile in the eye.  

‘It took a couple of tries but I was able to get with my thumb first and it didn’t let go then I got it an eye with my finger and it opened its mouth,’ Zefha said. 

Zehfa was bleeding from bite marks to his legs, thighs and hand and made it to shore where his father rushed him 200km to Gove Hospital in his LandCruiser.

Zefha was able to twist his body and position himself between the croc’s jaws so that he could poke the reptile in the eye. The 5.4metre crocodile was later caught and killed after rangers identified its damaged eye (pictured)

The teen’s treatment was mainly wound sterilisation and he was sent home after several days in hospital earlier this month.

Rangers captured and killed the 5.4metre crocodile near Milkala Beach just days after the attacked – having identified the croc by the white finger mark in its eye. 

‘He (the crocodile) had been killing dogs who came to the water and was big,’ Zefha said.

Relatives and locals have hailed the young man a hero after he put the welfare of his cousin and brother before himself and in the process showed his resolve to survive.