Daly River crocodile attack sees man rushed to hospital for emergency surgery

A crocodile egg collector has been rushed to hospital after being bitten by one of the animals at a remote Northern Territory river.

The man suffered serious injuries after the reptile clamped down on his leg near a station along the Daly River, south of Darwin, on Thursday. 

He managed to get free and was flown by a private helicopter out of the area to civilization where he was then transported to Royal Darwin Hospital by St John Ambulance.

The injuries are not life-threatening and the man is undergoing surgery in hospital, Northern Territory Police confirmed in a statement. 

It is understood he was employed by a croc egg harvesting operator and NT WorkSafe are investigating the incident.

Croc egg collectors can earn $30 an egg, which can bring in $1,800 from a single nest that can hold up to 60 eggs. 

The licensed harvesters are usually lowered on lines from helicopters to pluck the eggs from the piles of mulch on riverbanks the creatures use as nests.

They are then transported to crocodile farms where they are raised.

According to the NT Government’s Crocwise campaign, while crocodile attacks are rare they do happen and the risk is greater from nesting season between September and May or if the animal feels they or their nests are being threatened.

‘You should always be aware of the risk of a saltwater crocodile attack in all Top End waterways,’ the website states.

In March last year, a 22-year-old man in Nhulunbuy, in Arnhem Land east of Darwin, survived after he was attacked by a croc while spearfishing.

And just last week a huge 3.6metre crocodile was caught by NT Parks and Wildlife Rangers in a croc trap near a popular swimming hole in Litchfield.

The remote Daly River in the Northern Territory (pictured) where the man was collecting crocodile eggs