SURGEONS have saved the leg of a Brit teen gap year backpacker savaged by a giant crocodile.
Amelie Osborn-Smith, 18, was left fighting for life after the 10ft beast dragged her into a death roll as she swam.
She was only saved when a brave pal dived in to Zambia’s mighty Zambezi River and punched the creature furiously until it let go.
Amelie, the daughter of a German baroness, was airlifted by helicopter to capital Lusaka where surgeons operated to save the shredded leg.
A distraught relative said: “They haven’t amputated it.
“Everything else doesn’t matter. She is alive and she has still got her leg. She can still feel her toes.”
On the attack, they added: “It is one of those things you don’t think will happen and then it does.”
Amelie was grabbed by the croc on Tuesday as she swam on a calm stretch of river near a rapid known as “The Mother”, said pals. She had been white-water rafting near the Victoria Falls during a four-week trip to see her gran.
Her parents are desperate to get her home but have not been able to fly out to comfort her because of Covid quarantine rules.Dad Brent, an osteopath who is based in London, told The Sun: “Amelie has been receiving excellent medical care in Lusaka and has been stabilised.
“The big risk with crocodile bites is that they’re filthy. They have every germ under the sun on their mouths and so far they’ve managed to control any obvious signs of infection.”
Friends are hoping Amelie will be allowed to return home within the next 48 hours. Brent, a former Army major, said: “She’ll need to be seen by a leg consultant before we know what her future will be.”
Her mum, Baroness Veronika von Pfetten-Arnbach, said in a statement: “Our daughter Amelie, 18, was attacked by a crocodile while on her gap year in Zambia.
“Thankfully, due to the efforts of her companions, she survived and is receiving the appropriate medical attention. This has obviously been a great shock to the family, and we ask for privacy at this time to be able to focus on Amelie.”
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