Kendrapara: A 12-year-old boy from a remote village of the district displayed exemplary courage to save his 26-year-old uncle from a crocodile.

The survivor, Binod Mallick, an inland fisherman from Kandira village, is undergoing treatment at a government-run hospital in Rajnagar. He recalled the harrowing experience and thanked his nephew, Shiku, for surviving the crocodile attack.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening at a creek at Kandira village under Rajnagar tehsil. The victim suffered multiple wounds on his hand and thigh. He is, however, reported to be out of danger, said officials.

Binod and Shiku had gone to a creek-side field to relieve themselves when the incident took place. As they got in the creek, a crocodile leaped from the water and attacked Binod all of a sudden. On seeing this, Shiku immediately started trying to disorient the animal by directing torchlight at it. In the process, the child picked up a bamboo stick and dealt a blow on the animal's head. The reptile, which had clung on to Binod, was jolted by the sudden attack and left the man to slip into the water, said Andira gram panchayat's sarpanch Diptimayee Behera.

"The attack was so sudden that I had little time to react. I tried to distract the crocodile. I focussed torchlight towards it. Its rays must have distracted it. Then I picked up the stick that was lying beside the creek. I launched a counter-attack on the animal. It proved to be an effective tool. The crocodile unfastened the grip on my uncle and made a hasty retreat," narrated Shiku, whose act of bravery has won the appreciation from local residents.

"I acted on the spur of the moment. I had almost accepted the fact that the reptile would kill my uncle. In fact, the torchlight helped me distract the crocodile. Then I mustered the courage to confront it," he recalled.

The state forest department is bearing the cost of Binod's treatment. Besides, according to revised rules the department would also award compensation to Binod's family, said Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) divisional forest officer Bimal Prasanna Acharya.

Forest personnel, however, feel people are exposing themselves to crocodile attacks by venturing into the reptiel-infested water bodies.

"The forest department has initiated a series of measures to save humans and domesticated animals from falling prey to crocodiles. Over two dozen of riverside spots were identified as danger zones because of frequent sighting of reptiles in these places. Warning has been issued to people to avoid these troubled water zones. The bathing ghats, which have become vulnerable because of crocodile intrusion, have also been barricaded," said a forest official.