Whoever thought that taking selfies can get you bitten by a crocodile? Benetulier Lesuffleur, a 47-year-old French tourist, got snapped at her leg when she went too close to a crocodile she wanted to have a selfie with.
Miss Lesuffleur was visiting the Khao Yai National Park in the western part of the Sankamphaeng Mountain Range in Thailand when it happened. Despite the warning signs strewn all over the park about crocodiles, she crept up close to the edge of the swamp where she saw the croc, slipped, and when her leg got close enough the crocodile then took a bite.
Thanya Netithammakul, head of the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, said: "She wanted to take selfie with the crocodile who was lying down near a stream. It was startled and bit her on her on the leg. I guess that she wanted to see it for real."
In the pictures that circulated online, some of them showed Miss Lesuffleur being carried out of the park on a stretcher by park rangers, with her knee bandaged thickly. She was immediately rushed to the hospital after the incident after she suffered a gaping wound near her knee.
Another picture showed some rangers pointing at the pool of blood Miss Lesuffleur left on the spot, where it was coincidentally close to the park's sign that says "Danger Crocodile No Swimming".
It was strictly advised at the park for the tourists to keep close to the nature trail, but Miss Lesuffleur decided to risk it with a once-in-a-lifetime chance of a croc selfie. The risk, apparently, was not worth it.
The crocodile that bit Miss Lesuffleur was a Siamese crocodile, a type of crocodile not known for biting humans. They are critically endangered because of habitat destruction; they are usually found in fresh waters and are only seen in Southeast Asia.
Maybe the crocodile doesn't want to get its picture taken? Who knows? Either way, Miss Lesuffleur is expected to recover from her injuries.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
