Crocodile Attack
How to Prevent a Crocodile Attack
It's not uncommon to have a crocodile attack when people find themselves in areas where the crocodiles are a native species. The Nile and Saltwater crocodiles are responsible for more attacks on people and more human deaths than any other of the predators that have been known to attack humans.
A crocodile attack in areas where the species isn't a native dweller usually makes headlines on the news. But over the world, it's difficult to obtain an accurate record, because many of the areas where you might witness a crocodile attack are in third world countries and in impoverished areas, where the crocodile is just one more obstacle to a secure and peaceful life for the people.
Here is some information you can keep in mind, to avert a crocodile attack:
Crocodiles during their mating season are more aggressive.
Crocodiles can move quickly over short land distances.
Crocodiles can actually observe routines of campers or travelers, and memorize them.
Crocodiles in the water usually drag their prey under the surface and drown them.
Crocodiles have extremely strong jaw muscles which allow them to close their jaws and hold them shut. But the muscles that open the jaws are weak.
When crocodiles notice prey nearby, they often duck under the surface of the water and swim to their target, and then leap out and bite their prey.
One famous crocodile attack occurred in Borneo in 2002, when a British musician named Richard Shadwell was killed by a crocodile.
There is a crocodile that makes its home in the Rusizi River, named Gustave. He has been estimated to be over twenty feet long and weigh in at over one ton. Gustave has supposedly killed about three hundred people, but this statistic is believed to be overblown. There have been many attempts to catch the giant crocodile, including one expedition in 2002 that used a bear trap, but no one has been able to capture Gustave.
In one of the most recent examples of a crocodile attack, a five year old boy was taken by a crocodile in Queensland, Australia. His family works with Daintree Rainforest Rivertrain, and after he was pulled into the water, his father, a tour guide, jumped in to try to rescue him. They never found the little boy and he is presumed dead. The father was alerted by the screams of the boy's elder brother, 7, who was diagnosed as being in shock after the attack. It is believed the attacker was a crocodile familiar to the family, named “Goldie”. This all happened in the swamp behind the family's home. Always keep small children away from the water, even if you don't know that it's a home for crocodiles.