Dog famous for chasing and biting crocodile eaten by crocodile

'It was something that had a high probability of happening sometime,' owner says

A tiny dog famed for terrorising a large crocodile has been eaten by the reptile she tormented for over a decade.

For years Pippa the terrier would bark, snap and chase away Casey the saltwater crocodile as she lay on the banks of Australia's river Adelaide.

Tourists were regularly amazed at the tiny creature's exploits near her owner Kai Hansen’s remote Goat Island Lodge, in the outback south-east of Darwin.

But her bravery eventually proved her undoing when last week, Casey finally fought back, sinking her teeth into the dog and dragging her into the river in front of horrified onlookers.

“It was something that had a high probability of happening sometime,” admitted Mr Hansen.

The 66-year-old said his beloved pet – who he referred to as "Dumb Blonde" – had fatally approached the crocodile’s head instead of her tail.

He said he was “really sad” but did not blame Casey, an 11ft beast he feeds by throwing meat onto the riverbank.

“She’s not doing something wrong, she’s just doing what crocs do,” he told ABC News. “In the early days she actually had a go at me a couple of times. These days I just throw food out from up the top and no-one is allowed to walk down there.”

Mr Hansen moved to his lodge, on an island only accessible by an hour’s boat ride, 15 years ago to escape city life.

Pippa’s courage in the face of the crocodile became a popular attraction among guests, who posted videos online.

Some viewers criticised Mr Hansen, who they said was to blame for encouraging his 15-pound pup to face up to the 220-pound reptile.

But he said the terrier’s exploits were simply part of her nature, comparing her to a dog chasing a car.

“It’s such a sad story and I’m feeling terrible about it still, but it’s not something I ever trained Dumb Blonde to do,” he said in a separate interview with NT News. “She did things her way.”