It’s one of those tragic accidents that seems to replay itself far too often. Not a week goes by that I don’t open up the newspaper and hear yet again about how a crocodile has been injured by a woman not wearing her seatbelt.

Whelp, here we go again… On 20 May in Murmansk, Russia a two-meter-long crocodile named Fedya was treated for injures after a 120kg (265lbs) woman fell on it. This incident started off like they always do, with a minibus full of circus performers driving through the Arctic.

According to AFP and Russian media, a group from the “Soviet Circus” was traveling to its next show location when the driver hit a pothole in the road and had to make a sudden turn. The sharp swerve led to the troupe’s accountant, an unnamed super-heavyweight, to tumble from her seat.

Unfortunately, Fedya the crocodile just happened to be resting underneath her on a blanket and took the full force of the woman’s girth. Fedya initially showed no signs of injury. Naturally, if the crocodile had started shedding tears, no one would have believed it anyway.

However, Fedya soon began vomiting and continued to do so for around three hours. Fearing for the reptile’s life, the group took it in for medical attention. Much like when taking a gunshot victim to a hospital, taking a perpetually vomiting crocodile to a veterinary clinic is bound to lead to the police stopping by and asking some questions. As a result, the accountant was issued a reprimand for not wearing her seatbelt.

Luckily this time, the crocodile injury ended on a happy note. Fedya did not suffer serious injury and, according to the circus group’s leader, has made a full recovery. It’s actually currently in Moscow doing the television circuit there. We should all be so lucky…

Source: RIA Novosti, AFP BBNews (Japanese)

Crocodile Image: MartinRe at the English language Wikipedia

Map Image: Wikipedia – Marmelad