Australian man's thumb is replaced with his toe in surgery

An Australian cattle worker whose thumb was ripped off by a bull has had his toe transplanted in its position.

Zac Mitchell, 20, was injured in April while working on a remote farm in Western Australia.

“A bull kicked my hand into the fence,” Mr Mitchell said.

He underwent two unsuccessful operations to reattach his thumb before doctors opted to relocate his big toe in surgery lasting eight hours at the Sydney Eye Hospital two weeks ago.

Lead plastic surgeon Dr Sean Nicklin said: “It is a bit of a crazy idea - they [patients] do not want to be injured in another part of their body.

“[However] even if you have got four good fingers, if you do not have something to pinch against them, your hand has lost a huge amount of its function.”

Mr Mitchell plans to return to farm work.