Buhera boy, 12, survives crocodile attack in Save ...

Buhera boy, 12, survives crocodile attack in Save River

Zim Now Writer

A Grade Seven boy at St Moses Primary School in Buhera, Manicaland Province is lucky to be alive after surviving a crocodile attack as he crossed Save River.

Despite the injuries he had suffered on both hands, Delphin Mutsvakiwa, 12, reportedly continued to battle the reptile, poking his fingers into its nostrils, causing the crocodile to let go.

Delphin was admitted and treated for the injuries at Murambinda Mission Hospital.

“We were helping our cattle cross Save River and I was in front. We had helped the first and second batches of our herd to cross the river. We were crossing with the last batch when I felt a sharp pain on my left arm,” said the 12-year-old.

He said he soon discovered that he was under attack from a crocodile, adding that he ignored the advice of his friends, who had run back to the river bank, and remembered what his grandmother had taught him.

“That’s when I poked my fingers into the crocodile’s nostrils. After a few minutes, I realised that it had become powerless. It let go its grip on my hand and I quickly swam to the riverbank.

“I was badly injured and was bleeding profusely. I had to put some sand on the wounds to stop the bleeding,” said Delvin.

The crocodile reportedly followed Delvin’s blood trail but the reptile opted for a goat that appeared, which it grabbed and plunged with it into the river.

National Assembly Member for Buhera North, who contributed US$300 for Delphin’s medical bills, has said he is adopting the boy and will pay his secondary school fees.