Giant man-eating croc is wily, too
Marc Lacey/New York Times
Friday, December 19, 2003

RUSIZI NATIONAL PARK, Burundi There is a large empty
enclosure set up by the edge of the Rusizi River here, one that the
Burundian authorities hope will one day lure tourists to this part of
central Africa.

It is ringed by a fence topped with barbed wire and has a giant
pool inside. If all goes according to plan, it will someday become
the home of Gustave, an enormous man-eating crocodile that has
for decades haunted the Rusizi and the northern shores of Lake
Tanganyika, where the river flows.

While shrouded in myth, Gustave is no Loch Ness monster. He
lives and breathes and, most of all, devours. But as might be
expected with such an oversize beast, some of the tales about him
are rather tall.

While the largest Nile crocodiles typically measure a bit over 6
meters, or 20 feet, Gustave supposedly reaches more than 9
meters; some people who have seen him claim that he is 12
meters, teeth to tail. Locals describe how he has devoured
fisherman after fisherman, swimmer after swimmer. During one
raid, legend has it, he chomped up more than a dozen people and
still seemed hungry at the end of it all.

A crocodile expert with the New York-based Wildlife
Conservation Society, John Thorbjarnarson, said it was common
for people to exaggerate the size of a big crocodile. A really big
Nile crocodile, which is probably what Gustave is, would be about
five meters, he said, but could appear much larger.

As for Gustave's penchant for human flesh, Thorbjarnarson is
willing to give local residents the benefit of the doubt. Only two of
the 23 species of crocodiles and alligators are man-eating, he said,
but the Nile crocodile happens to be one of them. Still, he added,
Gustave might be blamed for deaths he had nothing to do with.
"It's very easy to blame a crocodile for people who drown or go
missing," he said.

All that said, Gustave is indisputably the biggest crocodile that
anybody around here has ever seen or heard of, and he is
unquestionably dangerous. But despite his ferocity, he is not by a
long shot the greatest peril in Burundi. Rebels ring the capital,
Bujumbura, regularly making deadly raids on the people there, and
malarial mosquitoes buzz with a ferocity found few places else.
Still, residents spend a considerable amount of time discussing
Gustave.

"Gustave is real," said Patrice Faye, 50, a French environmentalist
who has worked in Burundi for more than 20 years. "I've seen
him. I've seen three different people in his jaws."

The only problem with the government-approved and -financed
plan to market Gustave is that the crocodile is as crafty as he is
aggressive. Gustave has eluded capture for years despite the best
efforts of a team of experts.

Faye, who is leading the effort to bring Gustave in, stood along the
riverbank recently, watching for signs of the animal. Eventually, he
called out to Gustave, but he got no response.

A local fisherman, Jumaine Mbankunguka, said he had seen the
animal across the river the morning before, moving quickly and
seeming to stretch on forever. Mbankunguka said he stood well
back from the water, fearful of becoming another Gustavian treat.

"When you're fishing, it comes and splashes you with water with its
tail," Mbankunguka said. "If you fall in, it kills you."

Faye gave the crocodile his name some years back - he says it has
no special significance - and speaks of the animal with admiration,
praising its smarts and strength.

With the backing of the Burundian government, Faye has tracked
Gustave for the last five years, but trapping him has proved a
challenge as daunting as the beast itself.

Faye once put a live goat into a giant metal cage. It took dozens of
men to carry the contraption into the water. But Gustave merely
hovered nearby, eyeing the spectacle.

Faye has also tried nooses and a variety of other traps, but
inevitably these have snared other, smaller crocodiles. Gustave
even turned up his nose at a dead cow.

Faye has invited various television crews to Burundi to watch his
crocodile hunt. While several have taken him up on his offer, none
have yet caught any images of Faye hauling in the huge man-eater.
During the last televised hunt last month, Faye corralled a number
of other crocodiles, but not Gustave.

"People think I'm crazy," said Faye, who finances his crocodile
hunting by dealing in exotic snakes and prefers to think of himself
as eccentric.

Whatever else he may be, Faye is certainly focused. After
scanning the river recently, he trudged off unannounced through
the thick brush to one of Gustave's favorite sunning spots. His hunt
continues.

Hello Mr. fla3006: I don't know much about Africa or Nile crocs except what I've read about in National Geographic or seen on discovery tv shows and the like. That Crocs can do a nice job on zebra and other critters I have surely seen. But I do know somewhat more about what I have personally observed regarding the media and their reports of what has actually happened, as in traffic accidents, million mom marches, and many other things. Critical thinking will allow one to easily put that Croc story into the "crock of crap" category of reporting. Be sure to take it with a grain of salt if you wish to remain close to reality. ned

Mr. Ludd: I'm just passing on what was in the New York Times and syndicated elsewhere. I take everything I read with a grain of salt, particularly the B.S. on some of these forums. Try the Politics & Gun Ownership forum.

Yes Mr. fla3006, it is good that you are aware and use that salt shaker for yourself when passing on such writings to others. I, on the other hand, have chosen to not pass by such deceit without remarking upon it when it was presented as truth. There may be impressionable youngsters about who might not be as aware of circumstances. Is not the Times the paper that recently fired a reporter for outright lies in printed newspaper reports, and his editor for letting such things pass? Perhaps this was better posted in Humor as a laughable matter. Would have warned the innocent that something less than the truth was lurking.

"Hello Mr. fla3006: I don't know much about Africa or Nile crocs except what I've read about in National Geographic or seen on discovery tv shows and the like."

Mr. Ludd: If National Geographic and Discovery Channel is the extent of your knowledge of crocs, and you're so skeptical of the media, then why are you so sure this story is a load of B.S. ???