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A young crocodile named Fluffy is back to her cranky old self after being hit by a bus while duck hunting in a city in northern Australia, a veterinarian said on Thursday.

The 1.3-meter saltwater crocodile underwent emergency surgery and then spent 11 days recovering in the Marlin Coast Veterinary Hospital after the late night accident in a beachside suburb of Cairns, Doug English said.

"It was pretty dopey for a couple of days and then it got fairly cranky so obviously it was feeling a lot better," English said.

While young crocodiles were often killed by cars on Cairns' roads, Fluffy - so named by vet nurses because she was found with a "fluffy duck" in her jaws - was the first English said he knew of to survive such an accident.

He praised the bravery of sugar cane farmer Andrew Herrington in bringing the injured reptile in.

"Crocs go off like a steel trap - bang! - in a split second," English said of their powerful jaws. "That's how they can catch a duck in the air."

Herrington said he was driving home after midnight on Dec 10 when he came upon a bus driver trying to coax the injured crocodile off the road with a stick.

The crocodile had caught a duck and was headed across the road with it toward a creek when it was hit.

Herrington said he distracted the croc with a flashlight in the eyes before throwing a pair of overalls over her head.

He then used electrical tape to secure her jaws shut before bundling her into his SUV and taking her to the veterinary hospital where English immediately performed surgery.

"She was quite agitated, but I didn't think there was any great risk of personal harm," Herrington said.

"My main concern was for saving the little thing," he said.

"She'd bagged herself a beautiful little Pacific Black (duck) and was heading back down the creek for dinner and didn't quite get to eat it, the poor thing," he added.

（中國日報網英語點津 Rosy 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.