A 65-YEAR-OLD man from Queensland, Australia, who likes nothing better than to hitch a ride on crocodiles’ backs, is giving even the crocodile hunter a run for his money.

    Rob Bredl, known as the “Barefoot Bushman,” has been bitten more than 40 times by crocodiles and venomous snakes but won’t stop “playing” with his 800-kg crocodile named Brian.

    Bredl owns eight adult crocodiles and 40 juveniles, many up to 15 feet (4.57 meters) in length.

    The family of reptiles and the Bushman live on a 175-acre (70-hectare) farm in Airlie Beach in the Whitsunday’s region of Queensland and are part of a conservation program led by Bredl.

    As well as breeding the crocodiles, Bredle has opened up his home to the public to watch and learn about the dangerous reptiles he’s lovingly nicknamed “salties.”

    Bredl is well known for his antics with crocodiles, which include sitting on their backs, and enticing them to the water’s edge and grabbing them out of the water head first. Alongside “salties,” the farm is home to emus, koalas, wallabies, snakes, birds and a range of other reptiles.

    Bredl said, “When it comes to crocs, everyone wants the drama, the danger … They freak out.”

    With groups of 20 or more coming to watch the bizarre relationship between Bredl and his reptilian pets, the bushman said, “It blows them away what I can do with the crocs.”

    To begin with he puts his hand in the water to entice the crocodiles over, Bredl then taps the water with a stick to get them more interested.

    “I can grab his head and pull him out of the water. It comes from years and years of experience,” he said.

    Despite the theatrical wrestling seen on the farm, Bredl has no illusions about how dangerous the animals can be.

    “I must be the luckiest, crazy person who has ever lived. I have been bitten by snakes and crocodiles and I’m still here,” he said.

    With a brain the size of your thumb, the Saltwater Crocodile is an extremely dangerous creature, despite their slow movements on land.

    “Their actions are all totally instinctive,” said Bredl.

    “They are much more dangerous when they are in the water. Once they are out of the water, they can’t run, despite what others have said.” (SD-Agencies)