Crocodiles roaming homesteads at night -

30 December 2011

HLANE – People are living  in fear of crocodiles that are killing livestock and being found in homesteads at night. The communities of Hlane in the Lubombo region and Nkambeni in the southern Hhohho are under siege from crocodiles. Two crocodiles have been caught this week by officials from the Big Game Parks. A crocodile killed a calf at Hlane on Monday this week. It is believed that the heifer had gone to the river to drink water. The incident has alarmed residents whose only source of water is the White Mbuluzi River. According to Dumisa Nkentjane, a member of the Royal Protection Unit and Hlane community police, the White Mbuluzi River is infested with crocodiles as they are more visible and most active in the summer. The summer is generally the season when they feed and are more visible. Nkentjane said the crocodile was captured with the help of Big Game Parks on Monday this week, but the attacks on livestock have not stopped leading residents to believe that more crocodiles lurk in the river. Nkentjane said the presence of the reptile at the river was reported to Big Game Parks soon after it was spotted. After the report was made the crocodile pounced on the heifer. "I found the heifer dead in the water, I didn’t think it had been killed by a crocodile until I noticed as I dragged it out of the water that it was partially eaten. I panicked when I realised what had happened, it hit me that I had put myself at risk of being savaged by the crocodile by getting in the water," said  Dan Hlatjwako who works at the nearby Takhamuti Farmers Association at Hlane. After the attack on the heifer, Big Game Parks set a trap and the crocodile was captured on Monday. "Although it was captured we believe more reptiles roam the waters. There is another at Etingadzeni where it is menacing people, residents cannot even go into the water because of its presence. Our livestock still get attacked by the other crocodiles, though unsuccessfully so far, but we notice gaping wounds on the muzzles of the livestock," said Nkentjane. Report the crocodile to Game Rangers at Big Game Parks – 23838100 or 25283943/4 or your nearest police stations.

MNDF launches crocodile hunt in Meedhoo - minivannews.com

29 December 2011

Maldives National Defence force (MNDF) has launched  a “crocodile hunt” near waters of Meedhoo island of Raa atoll, after locals reported spotting the creature.

According to MNDF, the crocodile is reportedly 10 feet long and was seen by several islanders moving near a fish enclosure in the waters surrounding Meedhoo.

Last February, a six-foot crocodile was found near the waters of Naifaru in Lhaviyani atoll by a fishing boat crew, while another four-foot croc was apprehended by authorities in January in Thaa Atoll.

In an earlier interview to Minivan News, Maldives-based marine biologist Verena Wiesbauer said the appearance of the animals is a “surprising” and rare occurrence within the country.

Although not professing to be a crocodile expert, she said that although species such as saltwater crocodiles were common in India, it was “quite surprising” to find them in the atolls of the Maldives.

Wiesbauer claimed that she believed it would probably be these saltwater crocodiles that have been most recently discovered in the Maldives and although they are rare, the public should be careful.

The last previous reptilian stranger to be found in the Maldives, a nine foot-long crocodile called ‘Kimboo’, is currently kept in the Kudakudhinge Bageecha (children’s park) in Male’, after being caught by MNDF cadets in 1998.

In July 2010, students at Billabong High School in Male’ launched a campaign to ‘Save Kimboo’, due to the small size of its enclosure and poor treatment.

Kimboo occasionally makes an appearance in local news and even has his own Facebook page calling for his release, however nothing has developed.

One Comment on "MNDF launches crocodile hunt in Meedhoo"

Dhivehi Hanguraama on Fri, 30th Dec 2011 8:04 AM 
What kind of retarded child cares about a crocodile?
What on earth are these white devils teaching our children?


(I had to post this article mostly for this comment that appeared with the story! - Jenn)

Crocodile sighted in Dusi River - timeslive.co.za

29 December 2011

A crocodile has been sighted in the Dusi River near the Papwa Sewgolum Golf Club in Durban, race organisers said on Thursday.

The crocodile - reported to be 2.5m long - was seen in the late afternoon on Wednesday, Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon spokesman Ray de Vries said.

Race organising committee chairman Cameron Mackenzie said in a statement the Dusi Umgeni Conservancy Trust had removed most of the hyacinth, a surface-covering weed, from the river. This meant crocodiles' mobility was less restricted than before.

De Vries said if paddlers saw a crocodile, they should notify the race organisers at info@dusi.co.za, who would then contact conservation officials.

Nearly 1800 paddlers were expected to enter the race.

It starts on February 16, 2012 in Pietermaritzburg and ends in Durban on the 18th.

(Hmmm… not sure you'd get me paddling that river… -Jenn)

Crocodile stolen from Snowtown - abc.net.au

14 December 2011

A Snowtown woman returned from a weekend trip to find that her pet freshwater crocodile, Pinocchio, was missing.


South Australian Police confirmed the crocodile had been stolen from its cage and are appealing for the public to help.

South Australian Police confirmed a crocodile has
been stolen from it's cage and are appealing for the
public to help. (ABC)

Owner Lorraine Samuels says she is worried about what may have happened to him.

"My worst fear is that someone has eaten him because crocodile meat has become a delicacy."

Mrs Samuels says she hopes that someone who really, really loves crocodiles has her 70cm long pet.

"He's gone...and now we've just got an empty enclosure sitting there. It's very sad."

ABC Mornings presenter, Ann Jones, spoke to Lorraine Samuels, click on the audio to hear the full interview.

Croc skins new focus for farmers - phnompenhpost.com

28 December 2011

Crocodile farmers in Siem Reap are turning away from the export of hatchlings to Vietnam, choosing instead sell the reptiles for their skins.

Luon Nam, president of the province’s Crocodile Feeding Association, said yesterday the reliance on Vietnam was an unsustainable strategy for the industry. 

Any change in demand from Cambodia’s eastern neighbour left farmers vulnerable to falling prices, he said. 

The CFA shipped about 200,000 crocodiles to Vietnam this year. That was 100,000, or 33 per cent, fewer than in 2010, Luon Nam said.

“The recent decrease in crocodile babies is because we have only the Vietnamese market, and that puts pressure on us,” he said.

Newly hatched crocodiles had fetched US$27 each earlier this year, but later fell by as much as 37 per cent to $17, Luon Nam said. This had pushed farmers towards the sale of crocodile skins instead, he said. 

“Feeding for skins is expected to see strong demand, because they are wanted in Vietnam, China, Thailand and Singapore,” Luon Nam said.

Crocodiles were sold for their skins at the age of three, when they had reached a length of 1.7 to 1.8 metres, Heng Sovannara, chief of the Crocodile Development Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said  One centimetre of skin sold for between $5 and $6, he said.

Sieam Reap-based farmer Toem Bun Seng said he was feeding about 500 crocodiles that he would sell for their skins. 

Toem Bun Seng said he had moved away from selling hatchlings because of the volatility of the Vietnamese market. “I will increase the number of crocodiles I’m raising for skins next year,” he said, adding that he hoped the government would find ways to subsidise the growing industry.

Heng Sovannara said the government was encouraging farmers to focus on crocodile skins.

“We want farmers to think about the future, and that’s exporting skins,” he said.

Man dives into croc pool to rescue mower - ninemsn.com.au

28 December 2011

A daring reptile park worker has dived into a monster crocodile's pool to retrieve a lawnmower just hours after the animal tried to attack staff at a Gosford wildlife park.

Australian Reptile Park curator Tim Faulkner was one of two workers who crept into the 5m croc's enclosure to grab the mower as the animal was lured away with kangaroo meat.

"I didn't mind jumping in the water, once the croc has fixed on a bit of food," he told AAP.

"Billy distracted him with 'roo meat and I just dove in and grabbed the mower."

Animal handlers at the park just north of Sydney were mowing the lawn at 8am (AEDT) this morning when the monster crocodile charged at them, grabbing the mower's wheel with its jaws.

He then dragged the mower into the park's pool with the engine still running.

The park's marketing manager Libby Bain told ninemsn staff were "flat out" getting the park ready this morning and used two mowers rather than one.

"He's very used to one mower but we think the second one is what's triggered him," Bain said.

Elvis, who has been described by park staff as the "unfriendliest crocodile you would ever want to meet", lost two teeth in the process.

Mr Faulkner said it probably wouldn't be the last time the 50-year-old croc made a nuisance of himself.

"He's just won a big game, so when we get in there to feed him later in the day he's going to be different crocodile, he's going to be the king," he told AAP.

Crocodile steals zoo worker's lawn mower -

28 December 2011 

A giant saltwater crocodile named Elvis with an apparent affinity for household machinery charged at 

an Australian reptile park worker Dec. 28 before stealing his lawn mower.

Elvis, a giant saltwater crocodile swims next to a lawnmower in his pool at the Australian Reptile Park at Gosford, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. The 16-foot (5-meter), 1,100-pound (500-kilogram) crocodile lunged out of its lagoon at a park worker tending to the lawn before stealing his lawn mower. (AP Photo/Libby Bain)

Visitors watch as Elvis, a giant saltwater crocodile swims next to a lawnmower in his pool at the Australian Reptile Park at Gosford, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011.  (AP Photo/Libby Bain)

A lawn mower sits on the bottom of a pool next to a 500-kg (1,100-lb) crocodile at the Australian Reptile Park near Sydney in this December 28, 2011 handout. Two workers at a reptile park near Sydney ran for their lives on Wednesday after the crocodile named Elvis suddenly lunged at them, snapping up their lawnmower and losing two teeth. 

Elvis the crocodile attacks a lawnmower at the Australian Reptile Park in Gosford, north of Sydney, in this still image taken from video December 28, 2011. 

Crocodile kills child on Lake Edward - newvision.co.ug

25 December 2011

A would-be festive Christmas turned tragic for a Kasese district family when one of their children was killed by a crocodile on Lake Edward.

The incident claimed the life of 15-year-old Joshua Tugume of Rwenjubu cell, Katwe town Council. Tugume was a P.3 pupil at Katwe Boarding Primary School.

Tugume’s friends, who narrowly escaped, said he was bathing in the lake when the crocodile attacked.

The area chairperson, John Kasingo, said another boy, Tumwine Nanyongo, had gone missing since the incident.

At the time of his death, Tugume was in the company of Bahati Musimba, Moses Byaruhanga, Bashir Ashrim, and a boy, only, identified as Ashraf.

The Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area acting area manager, Nelson Guma, confirmed the incident.

“Our marines have retrieved the body and they are also hunting for the killer animal,” Guma said.

 He said they would create barriers around watering points to ensure residents and their livestock access the lake safely.

Croc killed Cairns spear fisherman - cairns.com.au

23 December 2011

Fatal attack: David Fordson who died of fatal 

injuries caused by a crocodile.

The Northern Coroner's Office has confirmed the fatal injuries suffered by Cairns spear fisher David Fordson earlier this month were caused by a "large estuarine crocodile".

The advice prompted warnings for boaties and divers to take extra precautions when visiting coastal Cape York this summer with crocodiles being spotted well offshore and at popular mooring sites.

In a statement, a coroner’s spokesperson said a post-mortem examination had been carried out during which police had sought specialist opinion from experts in crocodile and shark behaviour.

Mr Fordson, 49, was skipper of the cargo barge Torres Starservicing the Cairns to Thursday Island route when, ahead of schedule, they stopped to fish at the remote Cairncross Island group.

The alarm was raised when Mr Fordson failed to return to the vessel and his body was found in the early hours of December 6, with injuries initially thought to be from either a crocodile or a shark.

Underwater filmmaker and experienced boatie Ben Cropp has spent many years travelling the Cape York coastline and said he had noticed increasing numbers of crocodiles in the area.

Early summer is mating season for the animals, when the males are wandering further afield and looking for a female.

"On a recent trip we saw a lot of crocodiles and croc tracks all the way down the coast, and crocodiles at every offshore 
island we went to," he said.

"We’re talking six or eight miles out … on one little sand cay we saw three crocodiles, with three big tiger sharks in the shallows.

"These look like lovely places to moor but they are actually very, very dangerous, and Bushy Cay (where Mr Fordson was attacked) is only about three miles off the coast so it’s a lot closer to shore."

Mr Cropp said over the past seven years he had frequently seen a 3.5m crocodile lying on the sand at Bushy Cay.

Belgian police discover 11 crocodiles, alligator in search of villa - therepublic.com

23 December 2011

In this handout photo released by the Natuurhulpcentrum Opglabbeek, a Nile crocodile is held by a center employee in Opglabbeek, Belgium on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011. During a Belgian tax investigation Belgian police found 11 Nile crocodiles and an alligator hidden in a villa. The villa's owner, a 51-year-old German man, is in police custody and has been charged with animal neglect. (AP Photo/Natuurhulpcentrum)

BRUSSELS — Police carrying out a search discovered 11 Nile crocodiles — five of them squeezed into a small shower — and an alligator at a house in northern Belgian.

Police were searching the villa of a German man suspected of fraud in the village of Lapscheure Thursday when they came across the reptiles, said Frederik Thoelen, a biologist at the Nature Rescue Center where they are now being kept.

Five of the crocodiles were found squeezed into a small, dirty shower; five others were kept in an aquarium made for only two, Thoelen on Friday. The alligator, meanwhile, was rolled up in several blankets.

"They were really kept in horrible conditions," said Thoelen.

He said the owner told them the crocodiles were about 5 years old, but they were far too small for their age, most likely because of their restrictive caging and insufficient food. Instead of measuring more than two meters (6 feet), the newcomers at the rescue center in Opglabbeek, eastern Belgium, have grown only to a little over one meter (3 feet).

Police were searching the villa of a German man suspected of fraud in the village of Lapscheure Thursday when they came across the reptiles, said Frederik Thoelen, a biologist at the Nature Rescue Center where they are now being kept.

But things are bound to get better for the 12 reptiles, once they get released from the rescue center's intensive care unit.

The owner gave up his rights to the animals once it became clear that he did not have the necessary papers, said Thoelen. "That is very good news because now we can look for a new place for the animals," he said.

An animal shelter in Germany, which has more experience with reptiles, has already expressed some interest, but for the coming weeks, they will stay in Opglabbeek, said Thoelen.

The biologists at the center have already started preparations for new living quarters — water pool and underfloor heating included.

And they will be fed with chicken carcasses from the nearby slaughterhouse.

Thoelen said the animals most likely won't get a special treat for Christmas, because, "they got their biggest present yesterday" when they were rescued.

Snappy Christmas, one and all - qt.com.au

22 December 2011

Seven-year-old Hope Bohan and nine-year-old
Sasha Doyle with Santa and a crocodile at the
Community Compassion Christmas party at
the Ipswich Food Barn.

SOME of Ipswich's most needy children enjoyed a very snappy Christmas when they got up close and personal with a baby crocodile at the Community Compassion Christmas Party in Woodend on Tuesday.

Free food hampers, Christmas presents and a cooked lunch were also on offer as about 400 people packed into the group's hot tin-shed headquarters at Darling St.

Children collected presents and mobbed Santa and his unusual pets as parents enjoyed a moment away from the daily hardship faced by many Ipswich families this Christmas.

The Foodbarn is barely a year old, but you would never know it by the number of people who flock to the centre each week for help.

Centre co-ordinator Kerry McQuaker said the church-run facility had fed more than 1500 Ipswich families in the first year and the numbers showed no sign of slowing.

"The sad thing is that everybody is struggling more financially every day," he said.

"We're still increasing by five to 10 families a day here."

The Foodbarn, also known as the Lion and the Lamb Community Centre, opens daily from 9am to primarily provide food hampers to needy families.

The Christmas party was a way to offer families a little extra joy in what can be a difficult time of year for those reliant on welfare services.

Fluffy the crocodile survives bus runover - philstar.com

22 December 2011

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A veterinarian says a young crocodile named Fluffy is back to her cranky old self after being hit by a bus while duck hunting in a north Australian city.

Doug English says the 4 foot, 3 inch (1.3-meter) saltwater crocodile underwent emergency surgery and spent 11 days recovering in the Marlin Coast Veterinary Hospital after the late night accident in a beachside suburb of Cairns.

English said Thursday that while young crocodiles were often killed by cars on Cairns' roads, Fluffy was the first he knew of to survive such an accident.

The crocodile had caught a duck and was headed across the road with it toward a creek when it was hit.

Fluffy was so named by vet nurses because she was found with the "fluffy duck" in her jaws.

Crocodile comes off second best after crossing the road to catch a bus - cairns.com.au

Getting snappy: Fluffy the crocodile gets a bit anxious after 

being patched up by vet Doug English at the Marlin Coast 

Vet Surgery before she will be released into the wild. 

Picture: TOM LEE

21 December 2011

SHE'S all smiles now, but Fluffy the crocodile was in a far more serious state arriving on vet Doug English's operating table 10 days ago.

The 1.3m saltie was found near death by the roadside, clenching a recently caught duck between her sizable jaws after being hit by a bus at Yorkeys Knob.

After noticing the injured reptile about midnight, a local farmer braved the crocodile’s feisty temperament and loaded her in his car.

Dr English had to act quickly to save the croc during an early-morning emergency surgery that lasted almost two hours.

"Its guts were all ruptured and spilling out the side – we had to do the surgery straight away otherwise she would’ve died," he said.

Clinic staff were pleased to see her bite return after the surgery.

"Once she started to get a lot snappier and crankier, we knew she was a lot better," Dr English said.

Nile crocodile is two species, study says - upi.com

19 December 2011

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The Nile crocodile, a species identified by ancient Egyptians, is in fact two distinct species that have been going by the same name, U.S. researchers say.

That's the verdict of genetic analysis using samples taken from species throughout the animal's range, and including DNA from mummified crocodile remains, researchers said.

"This paper provides a remarkable surprise: the Nile crocodile is not a single species, as previously thought, but instead demonstrates two species -- living side-by side -- constitute what has been called the Nile croc," Marlys 

Houck, a geneticist with the San Diego Zoo Global's Institute of Conservation Research, said.

"Even more remarkably, they are not each other's closest relatives; one is more closely related to New World crocodilians," Houck said in a release from the Zoological Society of San Diego Monday.

That species, Crocodylus suchus, is declining or has disappeared throughout much of its distribution, researchers say, and without proper recognition of this species current sustainable use-based management policies for the Nile crocodile may do more harm than good.

"The cryptic Crocodylus suchus is a unique entity worthy of a conservation strategy separate from the Nile crocodile populations of East and southern Africa," Houck said.

Crocodile dumped in a box in Wolverhampton - petside.co.uk

16 December 2011


When we reported previously about a hamster being dumped on one of the coldest nights of the year, little did we think someone wouldraise the ante.

But that's just what happened. Jim Wick, the owner of an exotic animal park and pet shop in Wolverhampton named Wickid Pets discovered the crocodile in a big plastic container on his doorstep. "I saw a big, plastic container. I thought it might have been kittens or turtles because we often have animals left outside. I was taken aback when I lifted the lid and looked inside."

He rushed the animal up in his arms and carried her to a reptile vivarium, the staff are now looking after Snappy the Christmas Crocodile who they say is doing well and is none the worse for her experiences.

Mr Wick contacted local police to see if there had been any reports of missing crocodiles or if it had been accidentally taken during a robbery and abandoned by fear struck criminals. He will now help look after her until experts can collect her. 

There's been no indication where she came from or by what path she ended up in a plastic container on their doorstep, but Mr Wick says it sadly isn't an unfamiliar story "Some people aren't given the facts when they buy animals like this and they find them too much to cope with. They need specialist care."

Students are snap happy with a crocodile - biggleswadetoday.co.uk

15 December 2011

Darrell Roberts with Snap Happy

A baby crocodile is the first to hatch at a college in the UK.

The 14cm long caiman crocodilian has hatched at Shuttleworth College. The students have been studying the incubation and egg development of 14 eggs laid by mother Caiman. They were thrilled when the first baby crocodile hatched and more are incubating.

Carl Groombridge, Animal Centre manager, said: “This has been an incredible learning experience for our students and when the baby croc arrived there were definitely a few crocodile tears of joy!

“It is a privilege to care for such an incredible creature as the baby caiman and we hope that soon he will have brothers and sisters joining him.”

Snap Happy may be small now but one day he will be 2m to 2.5m in length. He is being hand-reared and cared for by students and staff in a specially built croc creche. He is eating small grubs at the moment.

Carl added: “We feel that we’ve been given an early and very special Christmas present.”

Crocodile farmer tears into metal thieves - huntspost.co.uk

15 December 2011

It would have taken six or eight men to lift the 16ft long by four ft wide bronze crocodile that farmer Andy Johnson bought in July in the early hours of Wednesday morning last week, Mr Johnson, whose Church Farm at Old Hurst has been in the family for generations, told The Hunts Post.

“It was one of only five made by Paris Bronze before they broke the mould. I paid £4,000 for it, but it would cost £6,000 to replace. All the kids sat on it to have their photographs taken. It was very popular.

“They also took another bronze of two pixies jumping over a toadstool, worth £300,” he added.

But whoever took the bronzes – and Mr Johnson has a fair idea who was responsible – had better not go near Church Farm again – except to return the items.

“I would like to catch them and throw them in with the real ones,” he said.

Mr Johnson believed the bronzes had been in a secure area between the tea room and the crocodile house. They were about to be moved to an even more secure area under the gaze of the farm’s security cameras.

But the thieves struck at around 12.30 on Wednesday, December 7, while he was out shooting a fox.

PC Simon Page, from Cambridgeshire police’s rural community action team, said: “The bronze crocodile statue is extremely rare and worth several thousand pounds. It would have taken several people due to its weight and size.

“I urge anyone who saw anything suspicious or is offered the statues for sale to contact police.”

CONTACT: Anyone with information should call PC Page on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

London 2012 Olympics: British Waterways play down reports of Olympic Park 'crocodile' - telegraph.co.uk

13 December 2011

Officials believe that a report of a 16lb Canada goose being attacked in the river by an alligator or a giant snake may instead be the work of a large pike, rather than a predator.

A local man, Mike Wells, claimed to have seen the attack from his boat and believed it was the same beast that savaged a goose six years ago, which at the time was feared to be an alligator or giant turtle because of large burrows in the river bank.

"The bird just went vertically down. I was gobsmacked. There was no sign of what took it, but it was obviously pretty big," Wells said of the latest incident.

Officials said they would be interested in talking to any witnesses, especially people who may have video or photographic shots of any of the wildlife being attacked.

But British Waterways said they had no information confirming the existence of a predator on the Olympic site since 2005.

"Our workers would have reported large tunnels in the banks and we have never been made aware of any such large holes," a spokeswoman said.

"We don't believe there is a crocodile in the Lea. The potential culprits could be a large pike or a mink which have been known to go for goslings.

"Or sometimes terrapins get abandoned and they can grow to be a dinner plate size, but really none of them are particularly likely to attack a goose."

A spokesperson for the London organising committee for the Olympic Games said they had no record of any sightings of beasts in the Olympic Park.

Border jumper escape from jaws of croc - zoutnet.co.za

12 December 2011

A 17-year-old Mozambican border jumper escaped death by a whisker after fighting off a crocodile, which had grabbed his left leg while he was trying to cross the Limpopo River into South Africa illegally.


The victim, who is now nursing injuries in the Beit Bridge District Hospital, told Mirror that the incident occurred on Friday at around 16:00.

He was in the company of three other young men, and they were trying to cross into South Africa through the Limpopo River illegally. “I was travelling with three Zimbabweans, and when we arrived at the illegal crossing point, we got into the Limpopo River and started swimming. In the deep water, I was attacked by a huge crocodile. 


It grabbed my left leg and started pulling me towards the deeper end of the river. I wrestled with it and when I realised that it was overpowering me, I pulled out my knife and stabbed it in the nose. It then released me,” he said.


The other border jumpers who had accompanied him did not make efforts to rescue him and instead swam back and left the scene. They later came back in the company of officials from the local parks and wildlife department.


The youth sustained a fractured leg in the attack. He had fresh wounds on his leg and part of his left thigh was gone.


When Mirror visited the victim in hospital, he was groaning with pain in his hospital bed.


This is not the first time such an incident has occurred in the Limpopo River. Many border jumpers continue to risk their lives by crossing the river and several of them have either been killed or left with scars by the deadly reptiles in the past.


Recently, an 11-year-old Beit Bridge boy was killed by a crocodile while he was swimming in Limpopo River as his friends watched helplessly.


The local police spokesperson, Insp Tafanana Dzirutwe, warned border jumpers against this practice. 


“We continue to handle several cases of people, mostly border jumpers, being attacked by crocodiles while trying to cross into South Africa. Therefore, we would like to urge people to desist from doing so as they put their lives at risk. 


Border jumping is an offence and we warn those involved in this practice that they also risk being prosecuted,” said Dzirutwe.

Fishermen survive crocodile attack - theaustralian.com.au

12 December 2011

TWO fishermen in Darwin have narrowly escaped being killed by a crocodile after a rising tide left them stranded in mangroves.

The men, aged 30 and 22, were fishing at Buffalo Creek on Darwin's fringe last night but when they decided to head home they realised that the tide had risen and they were stranded on a mudbank.

They decided to trudge through the knee-deep water to get back to their vehicle when they became aware that a 3m crocodile was stalking them, police said.

"It lunged at them, so they climbed up a mangrove tree," said a police spokeswoman.

The younger man fell into the water but managed to quickly scamper back up the tree again.

Using his mobile phone one of the fishermen alerted authorities, who rushed to the scene.

The men were rescued by boat and the crocodile was shot at to scare it away, although it is uncertain whether it was killed.

Wildlife ranger Tom Nichols said at least one of the men seemed to be from overseas, and the pair were unfamiliar with local conditions.

"They weren't aware of the big tides, which were 7m tides last night, and also the conditions in that area, how fast the water comes in and out," Mr Nichols said.

There had been a report of a large crocodile in the area on Friday, he said.

CROCKED... NOT TO MENTION STUNG, BITTEN AND SHOCKED - dailystar.co.uk

11 December 2011

TWO people needed hospital treatment for crocodile bites last year – and two for the effects of zero gravity.

The oddball complaints are the weirdest in a list of strange reasons people went to UK accident and emergency units last year.

As well as the croc and alligator bite victims, 17 people were hurt by a nip from a venomous spider and 34 by a jellyfish or other sea creature.

Another four were attacked by scorpions, 58 were seen after contact with a poisonous snake or lizard and 1,014 stung by hornets.

The hospital admission statistics from 2010/11 also revealed two patients who needed treatment “for an illness resulting from staying too long in a weightless environment” – believed to be people who have taken zero-gravity space-simulation flights.

Another 22 people were hit by lightning, the same number who needed treatment after their nightwear caught fire.

Two people were hurt in earthquakes, seven in volcanic eruptions before being brought back to the UK for treatment and ten were injured in avalanches.

Rat bites put 24 people in A&E and 325 were pricked by plants. Thirteen people needed treatment after accidentally suffocating themselves in bed.

More than 4,000 people were treated for injuries sustained while using sports equipment, while 6,600 hurt themselves in falls from ladders.

A thirsty 1,968 came to grief with a hot drink, while 4,200 needed help after skiing, roller-skating, skateboarding or ice-skating accidents.

And 350 cyclists were treated in hospital after crashing into other bike riders.

In total, casualty staff treated more than one million people last year, among them 94,019 injured after “slipping, tripping or stumbling”.

There were almost 1,000 shooting victims but just 176 were classified as being “attacks” with the other injuries being accidental or self-inflicted.

Almost 5,000 people with stabbing injuries were treated by medics as well as 3,288 who were attacked with a blunt instrument.

But be careful while you read this because more than 13,000 people – one person every 40 minutes – ended up needing hospital treatment for falling off a chair and twice that number were hurt falling out of bed.

Crocodile by Dan - logopond.com

This is great - no story to go with it, but just love the clever way 'Dan' has designed this…

Rwanda: Man Feared Killed By Crocodile - allafrica.com

25 November 2011

Fishermen in Rilima Sector, Bugesera District, yesterday morning, found the body of a man on the banks of Lake Kidogo. It is believed the unidentified man was the victim of a crocodile attack.

Jean Damascene Nyandwi, a fisherman who first saw the remains, told The New Times that he was on his routine work when he bumped into the body.

"There is no doubt that this person was mauled by crocodiles. There are signs that he was trapped some days ago," Nyandwi narrated.

The fisherman added that this is the second time such an incident had taken place in recent times.


"Crocodiles have not been a threat on this lake like it is on Lakes Rumira and Gashanga. It is scary because this may be the beginning of ugly incidents," he said.


The body was mutilated beyond recognition. Some residents, however, said that reports from neighbouring Gashora Sector indicated that a resident had gone missing.


Other residents said that fishing attracts people to the lake.


The Executive Secretary of the Sector, Gaspard Gasirabo, confirmed the incident and advised residents to be on the alert, warning that crocodiles from other lakes may be moving to Kidogo.


"This incident should serve as a warning to residents; otherwise we are most likely to experience many other cases."

Crocodile Washes Up in Krasnodar - themoscowtimes.com

24 November 2011

Russia is not a place to meet crocodiles in the wild, but this week, one specimen was fished out of the Kuban River in the southern Krasnodar region — dead.


The reptile was discovered by employees of a local rowing club who were cleaning up after a race, Interfax reported Tuesday, citing a club representative.


The 1.2-meter-long crocodile was apparently dead for some time because its hide was "damaged by rats," the representative was cited as saying.


The animal is apparently the same that was spotted by rowers in Kuban back in August. A hunt was launched at the time, but produced no results.


The cause of the croc's death remains unclear. Krasnodar Mayor Yevgeny Yevlanov called in August to capture it alive, name it and hand it over to a local zoo.


No explanation was offered for why the crocodile appeared in Krasnodar.