Crocodile attacks man at crayfish party in Stockholm

Croc expert: ”I tried to get it to loose its grip”

Publicerad 2019-08-21

A man was attacked by a crocodile at a crayfish party in Stockholm.

The reptile sank its teeth in the 80 year old victims arm.

”I tried to get it to loose its grip”, croc expert and party host Jonas Wahlström tells Aftonbladet.

The attack happened in front of 75 guests at an annual crayfish party held at the zoo and aquarium Skansen in central Stockholm.

Acting as a host for the event was longtime head of the aquarium, animal expert and tv host Jonas Wahlström, who witnessed the attack from only a few yards distance.

Stretched arm over croc santuary

The victim, a man in his 80’s, was about to hold a speech during the dinner event, and had mounted a ledge bordering to the crocodile sanctuary at the Skansen aquarium. As the man stretched his arm out he held it over the protective glass and that’s when the crocodile attacked.

”As I saw him climb up and stretch his hand out I yelled ’stop!”, Wahlström tells Aftonbladet’s reporter.

But the warning came to late. The crocodile had already sunk its teeth deep into the arm of the victim.

”What went through my mind was that I had to get the crocodile to let go, there was a lot of blood”, says Wahlström.

Rare spieces

Three of the other guests happened to be medical doctors and immedialtely went to work, trying to stop the bleeding with a belt and napkins, while waiting for the ambulance.

A spokes person for the hospital tells Aftonbladet that the patient’s condition is stable.

Skansen holds two specimen of the rare cuban crocodile in its aquarium. It is not known which of them attacked the man at the crayfish party. However they will both be allowed to live on at the aquarium.