Croc victim undergoes more surgery

Photo / Thinkstock

A fisherman who survived a monster croc attack in far north Queensland is undergoing a third operation to wash out badly infected wounds.

A 4m saltwater crocodile attacked Todd Bairstow, 28, while he fished on a creek bank at Weipa on Cape York Peninsula five days ago.

Mr Bairstow, a mineworker from South Australia, grabbed onto mangroves when the croc locked onto his legs on Wednesday.

A local man nearby came to his rescue, whacking the croc on the head with a branch until it let go.

Mr Bairstow's injuries are horrific and include dislocated joints, multiple puncture wounds and a fractured finger.

He is in a serious but stable condition in the Cairns Base Hospital and is undergoing surgery on Monday for the third time since the attack.

Mr Bairstow was wheeled into the operating threatre around midday (AEST).

A hospital spokeswoman told AAP crocodile bites were highly infectious.

Mr Bairstow has gone under general anesthetic for an "intensive" operation to clean deep and extensive wounds to his legs and hand, she said.

This is expected to take several hours.

"It's surgery to wash out the wounds," she said.

"It's pretty intensive. The last one took four hours."

Wildlife rangers were planning to trap the animal and take it to captivity.

The Department of Environment and Resource Management says it will provide an update on the progress of the search later on Monday.

- AAP