April 16 (UPI) — The captain of a charter fishing boat in Australia “got a little fright” when a net tossed from the vessel ensnared an unexpectedly large catch — a crocodile.
Fairdinkum Fishing Charters posted a video to Facebook showing the croc being hauled up when its teeth got caught on the net in the Bolhe River, near Townsville, Queensland.
“Pretty much instantly I felt something really big in there and as I was pulling it up, I started to get glimpses and then realized that it was a crocodile,” company owner David Leigh told Yahoo News.
Leigh said the net was released to allow the crocodile to escape, but the situation became more complicated when he realized the reptile’s front teeth were caught on the net.
The video shows the boat’s crew cutting through the net as the crocodile thrashes and is eventually able to return to the water and swim away.
Leigh said he “got a little fright” from the incident.
“I’ve been fishing all my life and I’ve never experienced it before, and I’ve never seen it happen before either,” he said.