The male crocodile severed Chang Po-yu's forearm at the Shaoshan Zoo in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung.
Mr Chang, a zookeeper and vet, had been trying to retrieve a tranquiliser dart from the crocodile's hide so he could give it medication.
But he appears not to have realised the reptile was not fully sedated when he stuck his arm through an iron rail.
As Chang was rushed to the hospital, a zoo worker ran up to the crocodile and carefully fired at its neck.
The arm slipped from the animal's jaw and bounced across the ground.
As the crocodile slumped stunned, an anxious zoo worker sealed the severed arm in a bag and sprinted off with it.
'The crocodile was unharmed as we didn't find any bullet holes on its hide,' zoo official Chen Po-Tsun said.
'It probably was shocked and opened its mouth to let go of the limb.'
Fortunately, the forearm was reattached following seven hours of surgery.
Mr Chang, a zookeeper and vet, had been trying to retrieve a tranquiliser dart from the crocodile's hide so he could give it medication.
But he appears not to have realised the reptile was not fully sedated when he stuck his arm through an iron rail.
As Chang was rushed to the hospital, a zoo worker ran up to the crocodile and carefully fired at its neck.
The arm slipped from the animal's jaw and bounced across the ground.
As the crocodile slumped stunned, an anxious zoo worker sealed the severed arm in a bag and sprinted off with it.
'The crocodile was unharmed as we didn't find any bullet holes on its hide,' zoo official Chen Po-Tsun said.
'It probably was shocked and opened its mouth to let go of the limb.'
Fortunately, the forearm was reattached following seven hours of surgery.
