Bite (off) the hand that feeds

[Swany]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/6551185.stm
(BTW, theres a picture of the croc with the arm in its mouth just a warning if you dont want to look. Its not too gross though)

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Surgeons in Taiwan have reattached a vet's arm, after it was bitten off by a crocodile as he tried to give it an anaesthetic injection.
After six hours of surgery, Chang Po-yu is said to be doing well and in a stable condition in hospital.

His attacker is one of a pair of Nile crocodiles kept at Shoushan zoo, in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung.

Nile crocodiles are known to be man-eaters, but are also listed as an endangered species.

New-found fame

The incident, which was dramatically caught on camera, occurred when Mr Chang had his arm through the crocodile's enclosure to administer the anaesthetic.

Believing the animal was successfully anesthetised, Mr Chang tried to remove the syringe, but the crocodile suddenly turned and bit off his left arm, holding it in its mouth.

As the vet was rushed to hospital, zoo employees tried to retrieve the severed arm by shooting two bullets at the crocodile's neck.

Although the bullets failed to penetrate the reptile's hide, the effect was enough to cause it to drop the arm.

"It probably was shocked, and opened its mouth to let go of the limb," zoo official Chen Po-tsun was quoted as saying.

After his operation, Mr Chang was seen on television waving and smiling to reporters from his hospital bed.

According to media reports, his girlfriend and mother seemed more worried than he was, with his friends voicing concern about how soon he would be able to play the piano.

As for the crocodile, it is also doing well. It has found fame as a result of the incident, attracting many visitors to its enclosure.


(This is my first thread besides my welcome one. Im weird)

[Mecha Cow]

They can reattach limbs now? I didn't even know that was possible.

[Anarky]

They've been reattaching and transplanting limbs for quite a while now and they seem to get better at it all the time. The trick is, apparently, to fuse nerve endings together, the rest can be fixed rather easily, I'm told.

Anyways, they've transplanted lots of things, even entire faces. All with more and more success.

[Swany]

Huzzah for modern science. eh?

[Mecha Cow]

I knew it had been done, but wasn't aware they were able to do it successfully. Wouldn't have thought something complicated like an entire arm was doable. Huzzay for modern science indeed.

[discordiatookie]

Yep, seen that story today at work, we were all crowded round the paper looking at it. Before we read the story, we even had a discussion on if the guy was able to get his arm reattached, one of the guys got it wrong, saying it was impossible. Me, I was kinda swithering between the two, not too sure. When my mam was wee her finger got cut off, and they managed to reattach it, you can barely even see the scar, but it is there. But a whole arm? I wasn't sure. But turns out, he did get his arm back! Awesome! It was quite cool opening the paper and seeing that as one of the stories, and in the Daily Record aswell, which is normally quite a boring paper!

According to media reports, his girlfriend and mother seemed more worried than he was, with his friends voicing concern about how soon he would be able to play the piano.

Now, that is a classic line! "Doctor! How is he? Can he... will he still be able to play the piano?" Ha! Some mates!!

Although the bullets failed to penetrate the reptile's hide, the effect was enough to cause it to drop the arm.

Bullet proof croc! Yay!!




Personally, I woulda preffered it if he lost his arm, only to go to a specialist and get a new one which turned out to be a serial killer's, and it gets a life of its own and starts killing everyone...

oh wait, wasn't that a movie