Video: Circus performer bitten by crocodile when he put head near its mouth

A circus trainer was showing off by putting his head inside a crocodile's mouth - when it snapped its jaws and bit his face.
The man was entertaining crowds at a circus on Saturday night in Ha Nam province, Vietnam.
The regular animal that had been performing the stunt for many years had died earlier in the day and it was left to an inexperienced younger stand-in reptile.

The man puts his head inside the crocodile's mouth but seconds later it clamps down its jaws and thrashes its head from side to side.
He pulls free and emerges holding his hands to his head with blood pouring down his face after the incident at the Liem Commune in the Thanh Liem district.

Pham Van High, Thanh Liem District Chairman, said the circus troupe was part of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and officials were now investigating and speaking to witnesses.

He said: 'There was rainy weather on Saturday evening but the circus entertainers did not want to betray the audience.
'Prior to the performances, the circus brought a crocodile but unfortunately it died and the replacement crocodile was put on instead.
'Fortunately, the actor was only wounded in the incident. Now he is being treated in hospital in Henan province. By this morning, the health situation of the actor was better.
'An investigation has been handed over to the police chiefs.'

A circus performer was seriously wounded by a crocodile in the northern province of Ha Nam, a witness said Sunday.

The incident occurred in Thanh Liem District’s Liem Can Commune at around 10 p.m. on Saturday.

A male circus performer was making a second attempt to coax a crocodile to open its mouth and allow him to stick his head between its jaws when the animal suddenly leapt up and bit him in the face, said Cao Thuy Linh, who witnessed the performance.

The man, who was bleeding profusely from his face, was quickly taken to a local hospital for treatment.