NT crocodile egg collector rushed to Sydney hospital after being mauled

A crocodile egg collector viciously mauled on the job has been rushed to Sydney following a deterioration in his condition.

The 29-year-old man on Thursday was savaged by a monster croc near a station along the Daly River, south of Darwin.

He suffered serious injuries when the crocodile clamped down on his leg before he managed to free himself from its deadly jaws.

The man was flown by a private helicopter out of the remote area and then transported to Royal Darwin Hospital by St John Ambulance.

Northern Territoty Police initially said the man’s injuries were not considered life-threatening and that he was undergoing emergency surgery in hospital.

On Friday however, a spokesman for NT Health said the man’s condition had dramatically worsened, now listing him as critical.

He has since been transferred to Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital.

A hospital spokeswoman said he remained in a serious but stable condition.

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

The man was attacked while collecting crocodile eggs (pictured, stock image), which can be obtained by licensed harvesters in the NT

The harvesting of estuarine crocodile eggs was made legal in 2018 under a commercial wildlife harvesting licence subject to strict requirements.

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

The licensed harvesters are usually lowered on lines from helicopters to pluck out the eggs from nests, which appear as piles of mulch on riverbanks.

They are then transported to crocodile farms where they are raised and then killed to make luxury crocodile leather products. 

The crocodile egg collector was savaged by one of the giant reptiles near a station along the Daly River, south of Darwin (stock image)

Luxury French fashion houses such as Hermes have contracts with a number of NT croc farms. 

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 if the animal feels they or their nests are being threatened.

A cast member of adventure television series Outback Wrangler show who died last year in a Northern Territory helicopter crash was hanging from it on a sling to collect crocodile eggs.

Chris Wilson, 34, was killed on February 28 when the helicopter collided with trees and the ground in West Arnhem Land, in the northeast corner of the NT.

Mr Wilson was attached to the line using a harness so he could harvest eggs from difficult to access crocodile nests.

The NT is home to the world’s largest wild crocodile population, with more than 100,000 of the giant predators in the wild.