A pig hunter in North Queensland, Australia, hiked through the bush for
two days, carrying his wounded dog in his arms, after it was attacked by
a crocodile along a remote Cape York river.
Wayne Best, a bushie, had been out hunting with his bull Arab/greyhound
cross Choco along the banks of the Mitchell River, about 300km northwest
of Cairns, last Friday morning.
The 3½-year-old dog had chased a feral pig close to the river, and
cornered it against the bank, when a large saltwater crocodile lunged
out of the waterway and grabbed the solid canine by its rear.
“It went for the dog and just got him by the arse end, picked him up and
just shook him and then went under water,’’ Mr Best said.
“That was all that I saw of him.
“About two minutes later, (Choco) pops up again and I didn’t see the
croc, and he swam back in (to land).
I just grabbed him out of the water and threw him up on the bank there.
I had to take him back to camp, splinted him up and fixed a few holes in
him, in his belly and stuff like that.”
With the nearest community about 100km away, and no vehicle of his own,
Mr Best had no choice but start walking through the scrub towards the
Burke Developmental Road.
When Choco became too heavy to carry, Mr Best fed his wounded pet
painkillers from his first aid kit, to allow the animal to hobble along
for short distances next to him.
After walking an estimated 60km, the duo were able to flag down a
motorist, who drove them as far as Chillagoe.
Mr Best and his dog then hiked for another 20km before they were able to
hitch another ride to Dimbulah, where he was eventually spotted walking
along the highway by long-time friend Shane Waymouth.
Mr Waymouth drove Choco the rest of the way to Mareeba, where the dog
received emergency treatment at Mareeba Veterinary Surgery on Tuesday
morning.
Choco was found to have suffered a broken left hind leg, requiring
intensive surgery on Thursday afternoon.
Mareeba vet Dr Ethan Maloney said Choco’s injuries were indeed
consistent with a crocodile attack.
“He’s a very lucky dog,’’ Dr Maloney said.
“The best thing Wayne did was bring the dog straight to the clinic.
It’s going to be a very long recovery, but for the moment, the dog is
alive.”
Mr Best, who lives off the land most of the year, said he was willing to
do whatever it took to save his best friend’s life.
“He’s my mate. He’s like family to me,’’ Mr Best said.
“He’s my best friend to me in the whole world.
Money means nothing to me. I just want him better.
I walked a long way for him,
but I would have walked a million and one miles for him if need be.”
Mr Best said he had encountered a few crocs, but the one that attacked
Choco had thrown him around like a toothpick.
“He was a big croc,’’ he said.
“He’d be easily over 20ft (6m).
I’ve seen a lot of crocs in my life, but he was definitely a big one.
If Choco hadn’t been attacked, I would still be on the river myself.
It could have gone for me, and nobody would have known where I was.”
Mareeba Veterinary Surgery say that Choco is recovering well and is due
to be discharged from the clinic and reunited with his owner on Monday.
Mr Best and Mr Waymouth had been desperately trying to raise money to
pay for Choco’s surgery, with Mr Best chasing fruit-picking work to help
pay for the $2,300 vet bill. However, Choco's vet bill has now been
paid in full thanks to dozens of donations from the public.
