A tourist was bitten by a crocodile while posing with it in Thailand (Representational Image)
A 41-year-old French woman was bitten by a crocodile while posing to take a selfie with it in Thailand's Khao Yai National Park. Muriel Benetulier wanted a photograph with the ferocious reptile, and in the process, tried to get close to it. She squatted near the crocodile and took a photo. However, as she stood up, Ms Benetulier tipped on to one side and the crocodile bit her left leg, authorities at the national park said.
"She wanted to take selfie with the crocodile who was lying down near a stream," a park official told news agency Agence France-Presse.
"It was startled and bit her on her on the leg."
The official said two crocodiles had made their home on that particular section of the park for years with warning signs laid out. Tourists had been asked to keep to the nature trail. Staff was stationed along the route to offer help.
According to tourists nearby, Ms Benetulier visited the park with her husband and the couple came across a crocodile lurking in the water, said the head of the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.
The French tourist was taken to a hospital for treatment and is expected to recover.
Local media posted pictures of park rangers dressed in camouflage carrying the 47-year-old victim strapped to a stretcher, a thick bandage wrapped around her knee.
The Siamese crocodiles were once abundant across South East Asia but their populations have reduced drastically in the last century due to hunting and habitat loss, as a result of which they are currently listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
In Thailand there are just a handful of wild crocodile populations left in central and western national parks.
(With inputs from PTI and AFP)