What started as a bizarre attempt at a selfie turned into a real-life horror movie when a tourist climbed into a crocodile enclosure, thinking the massive 15-foot predator was just a harmless statue. Seconds later, the reptile proved otherwise, lunging at the man mid-photo-op in a shocking moment caught on camera.

The incident, which took place on April 28 at the Kabug Island Mangrove and Wetlands Park in Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines, has sent social media into a frenzy and raised serious questions about zoo safety, visitor behavior, and basic common sense.

According to authorities, the 29-year-old man – whose name has not been released – was visiting the park when he spotted the massive reptile, later identified as a fully-grown female crocodile named Lalay, lounging in her enclosure.

Believing the 15-foot predator was just a lifelike statue, the man decided it was the perfect opportunity to snap a few selfies.

The tourist was walking around the area, then he saw the crocodile, which he thought was just a plastic fixture,” Police Staff Sergeant Joel Sajolga of the Siay Municipal Police told multiple outlets, per the Daily Mail.

So, phone in hand, “He climbed the fence and entered the enclosure, and the crocodile attacked him,” Sajolga added.

Death roll

In one of the videos, captured by a zoo visitor Cañete Jie, the tourist can be seen grinning as he approaches the crocodile in the murky waters.

What followed was nothing short of terrifying.

Within seconds, Lalay turns her head, lunges forward, and sinks her powerful jaws into the man’s arm.

Lalay then bit the man’s thigh and performed a death roll – a brutal maneuver crocodiles use to disorient and dismember their prey.

According to the University of Tennessee, “crocodiles can’t chew, so they use a powerful bite coupled with a full-bodied twisting motion – a death roll – to disable, kill, and dismember prey into smaller pieces. The lethal movement is characteristic of both alligators and crocodiles.”

Trapped for 30 minutes

In another clip, the man’s blood-curdling screams can be heard echoing through the park as Lalay spins with horrifying force.

Witnesses say the man was trapped inside the enclosure for 30 agonizing minutes, bleeding and barely able to move, while Lalay held tight.

According to the Daily Mail, the handler in charge of the beast risked his own life by jumping into the enclosure. He then smashed a piece of concrete over the crocodile’s head, forcing her to release her deadly grip.

“This kind of behavior is very dangerous,” Sajolga said of the tourist’s reckless stunt. “Nobody should ever enter an animal’s enclosure at the zoo. He put other people’s lives at risk and he is very lucky to have survived,” he added.

‘Such a stupid thing’

Paramedics rushed to the scene and discovered the tourist had suffered serious bites to his right arm and leg, according to reports. He was quickly transported to Dr. George T. Hofer Memorial Hospital, where doctors treated his wounds with more than 50 stitches, The Manila Bulletin confirmed, per People.

Jie, who captured the incident on video, said: “I don’t know why he would do such a stupid thing, but I’m glad the man is alive, and the crocodile just let him go. His leg wasn’t broken, but he suffered arm and thigh wounds.”

‘Poor Lalay’

Meanwhile, members of the online community are voicing their outrage – not just over the man’s reckless stunt, but over the fact that his actions put the crocodile’s life at risk, sparking a wave of concern for the animal’s safety and well-being.

“Poor Lalay! I hope she is ok! Imagine chilling and minding your own business when a waste of oxygen thinks they can do what they please to you and then having a cement block slammed on your head. Some humans are just that a waste,” writes one user.

“The caretaker should’ve hit the braindead idiot on the head with the concrete instead of the crocodile. Hope Lalay is ok, too bad she didn’t get his arm for lunch,” rages a second netizen.

A third offers, “Calling this an attack is like saying someone who stepped onto railroad tracks was attacked by the oncoming train.”