Crocodile victim's arm reattached

April 13, 2007

A Taiwanese veterinarian whose arm was bitten off by a crocodile is recovering well after six hours of surgery. The 200 kilogram male Nile crocodile severed Chang Po-yu's forearm at the Shaoshan Zoo in the southern city of Kaohsiung when the veterinarian tried to retrieve a tranquilizer dart from the reptile's hide so he could give it medication, zoo officials said. Doctors say he will need to be hospitalised for another two weeks for further observation and although the operation was successful, the patient is yet to establish nerve connection to his arm, hand and fingers.