Sunday 22 May 2011

Two locals make the cut for crocodile reality show - dailycomet.com

22May 2011

HOUMA — Catching live crocodiles in the Philippines isn't something Rene Hebert or Bryce Labat thought he'd be doing this year.

Rene' Hebert poses Thursday near Jim Bowie Park in Houma. Hebert has been selected to participate in a reality show where he will hunt crocodiles in the Philippines.

But these locals earned two of four spots on a new reality television show set for filming this summer or fall. The show, produced by an Alabama company, will follow two teams of south Louisiana alligator hunters matched up with Filipino crocodile handlers.

The goal is to catch as many invasive saltwater crocs as possible. The ultimate aim is to catch an alleged man-eating crocodile that has tormented one remote fishing village.

They both said they know the beasts are different from the reptiles they have hunted for years in local swamps.

<<Bryce Labat poses for a photo with his dog, Gumbo, Friday afternoon.

“I am giving them a healthy dose of respect,” said Labat, 36, a father and Nicholls State University student.

Complacency will make me part of the food chain.”

Hebert, 22, is also aware of the dangers and different environment, though the village lives in a marshy area that may have some similarities to his longtime home of Montegut. Labat, who lives in Thibodaux, said he's working on his first-aid and rescue skills with friends who are paramedics. Hebert said he's learning about other animals he may run into and the geography.

“I want to learn the area: what the marsh is like, how strong the current is and deep the water is and how the crocodiles react,” said Hebert, an offshore mechanical engineer.

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