This is one of those "there but for the grace of God" moments. A vet in Taiwan had his arm torn off by a crocodile. He had been reaching in to remove the tranquiliser dart when he found the croc wasn't quite as asleep as may have been hoped.
It brings back memories of having to stitch up a large laceration on a lions tail. I darted the lion, waited for it to go to sleep then entered the cage. The fact that no-one else entered with me did raise an alarm bell or two. So there I am, sitting at the back end of a very large lion, tail still twitching between my legs, sewing away. Now, I admit I was never a fast surgeon, but that day I stitched for my life. I am still surprised that I didn't need a change of trousers at the end of it all.
In this case the vet failed to notice that the croc wasn't fully anaesthetised. I seem to remember poking the lion with a sharp stick for about ten minutes before I felt brave enough to enter the cage (did I mention the fact that there was only one door to the cage and it was only about one and a half foot high so I couldn't exactly have run out in an emergency). And his family are worried about when he will be able to play the piano again.
The thing is, they were treating the croc because it had been off its food for a week! What a time to regain your appetite.
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