40-year-old mother beats off crocodile

By Phyllis Kachere
A 40-YEAR-OLD mother of six from Nyakutepa village in the Mushumbi Pools area of Mashonaland Central province last week became an instant heroine after she survived a savage attack by a crocodile while working in her vegetable garden on the Manyame riverbed.

Her shocked neighbours still cannot believe that Mrs Maidei Beta, a widow, wrestled and warded off the giant reptile that had lived in a pool on the river for a long time.

"It is a miracle that she survived a crocodile attack. And it’s even more miraculous that she had the courage to wrestle herself from the crocodile’s jaws. That reptile is powerful," said Sekuru Jonas Chikweshe, a herbalist from the same village.

It took 10 village men to retrieve the crocodile’s body from the pool after it was shot dead by National Parks and Wildlife Authority game rangers.

Mrs Beta said she was attacked while working in her vegetable garden on the riverbed at around 11am.

"I was working in my vegetable garden which is on the riverbed five or so metres away from the pool, when all of a sudden there was a wild splash of water. In a split second, the crocodile had gripped my left shin with its jaws.

"We wrestled for about 20 minutes as I tried to free myself from its jaws. As I wrestled the crocodile, its forelegs were tearing me all over my body.

"I knew crocodiles hate having their jaws forced open so I kept trying to open them and this forced it to retreat into the pool. Neighbours that heard me screaming reacted but by the time they came, the crocodile had slipped back into the pool," said Mrs Beta, who is still recovering from the attack.

She was immediately taken to Mushumbi Pools clinic but was transferred to Guruve District Hospital the following day because there were no drugs at the clinic.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail at her home last week, Mrs Beta said like all other rivers and streams in the area, Manyame dries up this time of the year save for a few pools dotted along it.

As a result, most villagers have their vegetable gardens right on the riverbed and hers is right next to the pool that was home to the notorious crocodile.

They must grow some AWESOME tomatoes near those riverbeds to risk becoming a croc's lunch!

Jeez.

Kathi, in America it is easy to forget what it is like to live next door to a large predator. There are so few that present a real risk to humans in the lower 48. While living in Alaska, you can get compacent about the large bears by being close to them, a nose to nose with a large brown will make a believer out of you, even if a lot of what they do is a bluff. The first time you find yourself as the target of a stalk, you know there is no such thing as too much gun, they are sneaky and show up at fly swatter range, at least the first time.

There appears to be more of that type of critter in Africa, and the proximity leads to an acceptance. It is hard to live your whole life at "red".

quote:

Originally posted by carmelolisciotto:
They must grow some AWESOME tomatoes near those riverbeds to risk becoming a croc's lunch!

Jeez.

Carmelo

Between deffinately starving or possibly becomming crock food I would take the risk of becomming food.

Wimpie

This reminds me of a charming story from (I think) Romania - not that I can vouch for its truth...
An old lady was taken to hospital terribly mauled by a bear, but the doctors managed to save her. When she eventually became able to talk, the doctor asked her how it had happed. Well, she told the doctor, the bear had been eating apples in her garden and she tried to chase him away by beating him with her walking stick. The doctor, naturally flabbergasted, asked if she did not understood how dangerous it was. She admitted that she knows that it was probably not a good idea, but it had always worked before without problem…

Regards,
Martin

8MM,
You are right, it is hard to live your whole life in red... However if I lived around bears or crocs I might want to be at least bright Orange.