Man, 51, attacked by crocodile in his own coconut farm

A villager was attacked by a river crocodile lurking in his coconut farm in Indonesia.

Solihin, 51, inspected the body of water after his son reported seeing the beast in their plantation in Kubu Raya Regency in West Kalimantan province on July 8.

He brought a bamboo pole to mark the crocodile's location and warn the other locals.

However, while he was descending into the water, the reptile suddenly attacked and tried to drag him into the river.

Villagers harvesting coconuts nearby heard Solihin's desperate screams and ran to his aid. They wrested the farm owner from the crocodiles jaws and pulled him back to the riverbank.

Kubu Raya Police Penmas Kasubsi, Aiptu Ade, said: 'Unexpectedly, the crocodile immediately bit his right foot. Solihin was dragged into the river and screamed hysterically for help.

'The victim survived and is currently undergoing intensive medical treatment. As a result of the crocodile attack, the victim suffered eleven open suture scars from crocodile bites and a fracture in the right leg.'

Footage shows Solihin lying on the ground with his right leg tied to a splint. He was rushed to the Puskesmas Padang Mat for medical treatment.

The Batu Ampar Sector Police together with Babinsa, the community and the local government are still searching for the crocodile that attacked Solihin.

Aiptu said: 'These efforts are made to ensure the safety of the residents and prevent similar attacks in the future. The crocodile search was carried out with utmost vigilance and involved various parties to improve effectiveness and safety during the search process.'

Police also urged the locals to be vigilant when wading into rivers near known crocodile habitats.

The Indonesian archipelago is home to 14 types of crocs - with a large population of extremely large and violent estuarine crocodiles that flourish in the region's climate.

Conservationists believe that crocodiles have been driven further inland closer to villages due to overfishing reducing the crocodiles' natural food supplies combined with habitat loss from the development of coastal areas into farms.

With uneducated locals in the developing country still using rivers for bathing and primitive fishing, the deadly combination of factors has led to rising numbers of crocodile attacks.