A kayaker is rescued after spending a fortnight held
hostage by a giant reptile in a remote part of Australia.
Australian saltwater crocodiles can grow up to 7m long.
File image.
A crocodile has trapped a man on an island in a remote part of
Australia for two weeks as he feared he would be eaten if he tried to
escape.
The tourist, named only as a New Zealander called Ryan, had been taken to
Governor Island by boat and had been intending to kayak the 4km (2.5 miles) back
to the mainland.
But he told his rescuers that every time he tried to paddle away from the
island, off Western Australia, the giant reptile - said to be about 6m (20ft)
long - stalked him and looked as if it was likely to attack.
So he stayed on dry land where he thought he was safer, despite diminishing
food and water supplies.
Two weeks later, Ryan was finally rescued by Don Macleod, who went to the
island after he spotted a light and feared it may be someone who needed
help.
When he arrived on Saturday, Mr Macleod came across Ryan, who was very
distressed.
Mr Macleod said: "He said he was there for a fortnight and he came to the
conclusion very quickly that he couldn't get off there without attracting this
crocodile that lives in that area and probably was watching him all the
time.
"So he was reduced then to trying to conserve his water and signal (for
help)," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"I went across and Ryan came out looking a bit distraught. He came down the
beach, he had no hat on and no shirt on. The tourist was trapped on Governor Island off
Kalumburu
"He was relieved and shocked, and thankful someone had come along because he
was running out of options pretty quickly. He is a very, very lucky man."
"He was desperate for water when I trotted up.
"We gave him a cold beer, which was probably the wrong thing, and then he
went to sleep about three-quarters of the way home."
Ryan is reportedly recovering on the mainland.
Mr Macleod said he was familiar with the crocodile which roams the island,
which has no freshwater source.
He said the reptile in question is around 6m long and has had several run-ins
with people using the waters nearby.
"That crocodile, I've seen him several times actually going by quite fast,"
Mr Macleod said.
"One day he just happened to surface alongside me as I was going past and my
boat's 20ft long so he was well up towards the 20ft mark."
Saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to 7m long and weigh more than a
tonne, are a common feature of Australia's tropical north.
Last month a man was snatched by a large crocodile in front of horrified
onlookers as he swam in a river in the Northern Territory.
