Post by Sareen on Nov 23, 2007 9:22:25 GMT -5
Gustave is a massive Nile crocodile living in Burundi, estimated to be 6 m (20 ft) in length and weighing around 907 kg (1 ton).[1] He is believed to be the largest crocodile in Africa.[2] A notorious man-eater, he is rumored to have claimed as many as 300 victims from the banks of the Rusizi River and the northern shores of Lake Tanganyika. While this number is likely greatly exaggerated, Gustave has attained a near-mythical status and is greatly feared by people in the region.[3] He developed a taste for human flesh by feeding on dead bodies thrown into the water by a local warlord.
Gustave was named by Patrice Faye, a French resident of Burundi and self-taught naturalist who has been pursuing the crocodile since 1998. Faye and a documentary team attempted to capture Gustave in 2002 using an enormous trap, but the crocodile avoided it.[4] The ill-fated attempt was detailed in a somewhat sensationalized documentary titled Capturing the Killer Croc, which aired on PBS in May 2004.[5]
Based on his size, Gustave is estimated to be at least 65 years old. He was sighted most recently in April 2007.[6] He is known for the scars that cover his body caused by bullets.
His huge size has allowed him to kill and eat an adult hippopotamus, a feat that would be impossible for smaller crocodiles. Since he is too big and heavy to catch smaller prey like small mammals and fish, he catches larger, heavier animals like wildebeast and zebra.
www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/news/gustave-primeval/article.html
He is enormous. He is three times as big as the other crocodiles in Burundi. He is not very fast and cannot feed on what other crocodiles in Burundi eat - fish and small mammals. He attacks slow prey which are easy to capture."
Gustave goes for a stroll
The crocodile is well known in Burundi
The crocodile is greatly feared by local bathers and fishermen.
"Gustave is very dangerous when he gets out of the Ruzizi River to mate with females.
"He travels all the way to the areas of Rumonge and Minago and eats fishermen and bathers en route," Mr Faye says.
"He can eat 10, 15 or 20 people along the bank."
"One year, I followed the path he took on one of his forays and 17 people had been eaten between Kanyosha and Minago, and Kabezi and Magara."
However, Gustave spends most of his days near his island.
According to local people many have tried to kill him and failed.
Animal conservation agencies are saying he should be protected and Mr Faye agrees saying killing him should be "out of the question".
"It would be a great shame as he is a phenomenon we want to study scientifically."
However, catching Gustave has proved difficult so far.
"I have made a trap to try to catch him: 10 metres long, two metres wide and 1.50 metres high. It is gigantic, 40 men were needed to transport it," Mr Faye says.
"We placed it into the Ruzizi, put bait inside and spent the whole night in the river with cameras.
"But it was a total failure. The crocodile was parading outside the cage, teasing us, and we were unable to catch it.
"We wanted to catch it to make a report which will be shown around the world and make Gustave and Burundi famous," he said.
But for now Burundi's killer crocodile remains free.
Gustave was named by Patrice Faye, a French resident of Burundi and self-taught naturalist who has been pursuing the crocodile since 1998. Faye and a documentary team attempted to capture Gustave in 2002 using an enormous trap, but the crocodile avoided it.[4] The ill-fated attempt was detailed in a somewhat sensationalized documentary titled Capturing the Killer Croc, which aired on PBS in May 2004.[5]
Based on his size, Gustave is estimated to be at least 65 years old. He was sighted most recently in April 2007.[6] He is known for the scars that cover his body caused by bullets.
His huge size has allowed him to kill and eat an adult hippopotamus, a feat that would be impossible for smaller crocodiles. Since he is too big and heavy to catch smaller prey like small mammals and fish, he catches larger, heavier animals like wildebeast and zebra.
www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/news/gustave-primeval/article.html
He is enormous. He is three times as big as the other crocodiles in Burundi. He is not very fast and cannot feed on what other crocodiles in Burundi eat - fish and small mammals. He attacks slow prey which are easy to capture."
Gustave goes for a stroll
The crocodile is well known in Burundi
The crocodile is greatly feared by local bathers and fishermen.
"Gustave is very dangerous when he gets out of the Ruzizi River to mate with females.
"He travels all the way to the areas of Rumonge and Minago and eats fishermen and bathers en route," Mr Faye says.
"He can eat 10, 15 or 20 people along the bank."
"One year, I followed the path he took on one of his forays and 17 people had been eaten between Kanyosha and Minago, and Kabezi and Magara."
However, Gustave spends most of his days near his island.
According to local people many have tried to kill him and failed.
Animal conservation agencies are saying he should be protected and Mr Faye agrees saying killing him should be "out of the question".
"It would be a great shame as he is a phenomenon we want to study scientifically."
However, catching Gustave has proved difficult so far.
"I have made a trap to try to catch him: 10 metres long, two metres wide and 1.50 metres high. It is gigantic, 40 men were needed to transport it," Mr Faye says.
"We placed it into the Ruzizi, put bait inside and spent the whole night in the river with cameras.
"But it was a total failure. The crocodile was parading outside the cage, teasing us, and we were unable to catch it.
"We wanted to catch it to make a report which will be shown around the world and make Gustave and Burundi famous," he said.
But for now Burundi's killer crocodile remains free.