Croc victim tells of how her husband died saving her - solomonstarnews.com

6 August 2011

LYING in her hospital bed she muttered trying to hold back tears as she shared the story of her husband’s courageous act while trying to save her life.

Beside her was her nine year old son embracing her as she still try to come to terms with the news that the father of her children was found dead.

Agnes Maesioga was the latest victim of a crocodile attack last Sunday at the Mbokokimbo River, East Guadalcanal.

Her husband John Garega died saving her life.

Agnes said what her husband did for her will always be remembered as a loving husband who lost his life saving hers.

“Mi sore tumas lo wat happen lo hasban blo mi bikos hem die taim hem trai fo savim me (I’m sorry for what happened to my husband because he died trying to save my life),” she muttered.

The last time Agnes got a glimpse of her husband that day was when the crocodile dragged him into the water with only four of his fingers emerging from the water as the crocodile hauled him underwater.

The late Garega will always be Agnes’s hero.

Tuesday this week, the late Garega’s body was laid to rest in his home village in Samaria, East Guadalcanal.

It was even more painful that Agnes was not able to attend her husband’s burial because of the seriousness of the crocodile bite to her right thigh and hand.

This is a story of love, courage and tragedy.

It was like any other Sunday and Agnes and her husband were walking back home along the Mbokokimbo river bank.

They met one of her in-laws along the way and she decided to take a quick dip in the river whilst her husband and brother in-law sat on the river bank waiting for her.

After having a wash she was making her way up the river bank when she felt something gripped her right thigh.

“I tried to lift my right leg but it was heavy and it felt like something heavy was pulling me down.”

“I taught a dog had bitten me but when I turned around it was a crocodile,” she said.

Agnes said she panicked and tried to fight off the crocodile with her hands but only to find her right arm caught in the jaws of the crocodile.

“That was when I called out for help.”

Her husband and brother in-law were busy telling stories when they heard Agnes screamed.

Agnes said they came to her rescue and tried to pull her out of the gripping jaws of the crocodile but the predator held on tight.

She described it like a tug of war between the crocodile and the two men.

Agnes said she lost hope when she felt that the crocodile was pulling her underwater.

Her husband knowing that they could not match the strength of the reptile jumped into the river to try and fight off the croc to free her wife.

Agnes said that was when the croc let go off her right arm ripping off part of her flesh while it turned towards her husband.

She said her husband tried to escape but he was dragged under water.

As Agnes was rescued to safety by her brother in-law she cried as she watched her husband disappear underwater.

She said they could do nothing but just hope her husband would fight off the croc and swim to safety.

“The last I saw of my husband that day was only four of his fingers disappear under-water while he was dragged down,” she said.

“I don’t know what to say but if it wasn’t for my husband I would be dead by now,” she said.

Agnes was rushed to the National Referral Hospital hours after the attack.

She learnt of the news that her husband’s body was found on Monday evening and buried the next day.

Nurses said her injuries were pretty bad as part of her flesh was ripped off during the attack.

She didn’t even had the chance to pay her respect and salute the man who saved her life.

The widow from Arosi in the Makira/Ulawa Province is survived with four children; two boys and two girls.

They are aged 13, 9, 6 and 3.

‘Swamp People' hopefuls pack restaurant - dailycomet.com

5 August 2011

Hopeful stars and alligator hunters packed Big Al's Seafood Restaurant in Houma Friday to try out for the History Channel hit that's made bayou accents and Cajun heritage into household entertainment.

Houma was the last stop on a three-day audition tour for “Swamp People” as casting officials looked for new faces to feature on the show. Other stops were in Lafayette and DeRidder.

About 100 people showed up for the Houma audition, casting officials said.

“The show is great,” said Dickie Babin, an alligator hunter from Raceland. “It's carrying on our traditions, showing them to an outside public that hasn't seen them.

“And look what happens when they get a look,” he added. “Troy Landry (a Pierre Part alligator hunter featured in the first two seasons of “Swamp People”) is famous now.”

Casting Director Jason Skweres said the show is looking beyond alligator hunters this season to trappers, fishermen and other Cajuns steeped in traditional life.

“We're looking for a couple more characters to add to the cast,” he said. “Any folks who are making a living off the land or eating what they catch. When we meet them, we'll know.”

Babin, 57, waited at Big Al's with his son, Lee, 24, and his friend Ernest Landrieu, 64. Babin said he's been hunting alligators since he was a child and has schooled three sons and seven grandchildren in the tradition, including Lee. He used to fill hundreds of Wildlife and Fisheries tags, which determine how many alligators any given hunter can take, but now just keeps seven to go out for fun.

“He's been taking me since it was illegal to take me along,” Lee said with a grin.

Landrieu, a shrimper and crawfisherman, takes a less active role in the hunts, tagging along with a beer and cooking the gator later.

Babin said he's interested in trying out for “Swamp People” because it shows off the culture of south Louisiana's swamp dwellers.

“We take what we have down here for granted,” Lee said. “When (viewers) see what we got on the show, they all get jealous.”

Tommy Fletcher, 64, of Raceland, said he's trying out because he hopes to promote his alligator farm, Utopia.

He's done everything in the gator business, such as farming, processing, hunting and rounding up nuisance alligators, he said. He lives on a houseboat near U.S. 90 in Raceland.

“I got gators surrounding me,” he said.

Current stars “Trapper Joe” LaFont, “Trigger Tommy” Chauvin and R.J. and Jay Paul Molinere were on hand to offer the hopefuls advice and talk about life after “Swamp People.”

“It's crazy,” LaFont said. “You can't even go to the store to get a loaf of bread without people recognizing you.”

The duo has a website, trapperjoeandtriggertommy.com, where they sell merchandise and advertise appearances. Chauvin said the reactions they get from kids who line up to meet them and get autographs is the best.

When he was approached to join the original cast of “Swamp People” Lafont said he almost turned them down.

“I wasn't interested,” he said. “But then I thought it might be good thing for Louisiana.

Molinere and his son Jay Paul of Grand Bois joined the cast of “Swamp People” in the show's second season. Molinere said the producers were looking to add a new element to the show by casting someone from the United Houma Nation tribe.

He said it was nerve wracking before the show aired, wondering how he and his son might across to audiences.

“We got the accents down here, so at first you're worried about how you're going to sound,” Molinere said. “But it's been a change of lifestyle for the better. And I think it's been good for Terrebonne and Lafourche and the alligator fishermen also.”

Since the show aired, LaFont said, the cost of alligator meat has gone up, and so has interest in swamp tours.

“People used to come down here to visit New Orleans and the French Quarter,” LaFont said. “But now everyone wants to come down to the swamp to see where we're at.”

Dockett's dog solution - foxsportsarizona.com

5 August 2011

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, one of the game's reigning originals, wanted to bring his pet alligator, Nino, to camp, but he says Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt put the kibosh on that plan. So Nino stayed home in Florida with a baby-sitter, putting the entire neighborhood on notice.

“My neighbor has a dog, and before I got my gator the dog would always run into the yard,” Dockett said. “(My neighbor) came over and she was like, ‘yeah, um, I heard you got a gator?’

“I said, ‘yeah I got him in the back yard.’

“She said, ‘OK,’ picked her dog up, and I haven’t seen the little dog since.’ ”

Dockett bought the gator a year ago and posted some photos, but Nino’s legend is about to grow.

“I’m going to put some stuff on YouTube ‘cause one of my boys was feeding him a rabbit the other day and he got up and squashed the rabbit in one bite and swallowed it whole,” Dockett said.

Dockett insists Nino (photo from Dockett's twitter account) is still a manageable size.

“Once he gets like 200 pounds, I’m probably going to give him back and get a new one,” he said.

Obsessions and eBay

When I know I am going to be off work for a few days, I tend to do an eBay binge in the days leading up to being at home...

When I am working, there is usually no one to accept deliveries so I have to restrain myself. I have just had a bit of a bender and am now checking the spending spree until I get another contract.

A selection below of some of my recent additions.

All things no good household should be without... :D

The ultimate snappy snap: Photographer's incredible close-ups of rare crocodiles that came back from brink of extinction - dailymail.co.uk

5 August 2011

Brave snapper spends eight days tracking crocodiles for close-up pictures

It takes an extremely brave photographer to try for a close-up this dangerous - especially when you could end up being 'snapped' at yourself.

But intrepid wildlife photographer Daniel Botelho put his life on the line in Botswana to capture these spectacular shots of a 15ft crocodile in its natural habitat.

Courageous snapper Mr Botelho came within inches of the lethal predators after photographing them in the Okavango River Delta in Botswana.

Make it snappy: Mr Botelho captures one of the rare crocodiles in its habitat in Botswana

Close-up crocs: A baby crocodile is captured by intrepid snapper Mr Botelho, who spent eight days waiting for the perfect shots

The revealing images he got are well worth the danger he put himself in, however, given the plight the crocodiles previously found themselves in.

The species have been hunted excessively by humans for their skin thanks to the demand for leather goods.

After International Trade Regulations in 1968 were introduced monitoring the hunting of crocodiles, the species are no longer endangered.

Mr Botelho spent eight days trying for the close-up in June after following the creatures on land and underwater.

The 30-year-old eventually got the shots he wanted and put his expertise down the closely watching the crocodiles' body language.

Keep your distance: Mr Botelho said he got close to the crocodiles by watching their body language and, if things looked dangerous, pretending to be a tree stump

Out of my way: Some of the crocodiles Mr Botelho came across in Botswana weighted as much as 600kg

He said: 'It was very hard to find a croc that allowed me to approach, I had enormous luck to have some that stopped for a while.

'When you are dealing with wildlife, you need to feel the body language of the animal. I need to be very calm and relaxed to make my approach.

'It was hardcore work to get in the water 10 to 15 times a day to get a one minute interaction.'

'The first time I saw a croc was a big one, and it was inside a cave.

'I couldn't believe his size, I almost cleaned my mask to check if I was seeing correctly.

Natural habitat: The crocodiles in Botswana used to be endangered before laws were introduced to stop them being hunted

Fearless: Mr Botelho prepares himself for a dive into the delta in Botswana where he captured the crocs on camera

'At that time all I felt was enchantment. They are beautiful underwater.'

While taking the pictures, Mr Botelho witnessed full grown crocodiles weighing over 600 kgs, putting him in serious danger.

'The crocodiles mostly feed on fish, but they are top predators, ready to take advantage of any prey that crosses their path,' he said.

'We tried to minimise our risks as much as possible, we never went straight to the croc with the current, never swam on top of them, and if one comes toward me, I was told to pretend I was a tree trunk.

'They can't see properly underwater but they can see contrast, and they also have pressure sensors to feel small movements in the water.'

The crocs travel well on land, but mostly live in freshwater rivers and lakes, as well as mangroves.

Crocodile on your desk? - marketingweb.co.za

4 August 2011

Getting on top of your workload is key in maintain a good work ethic and working at optimum productivity. LAURANCE KUPER takes a moment to smell the croc...

It is very common! Executives like you come in to the office every day and what do you find on your desk? A massive crocodile with bloodshot eyes, a fearsome tail and razor-sharp gnashing teeth. You then spend the whole day locked in a desperate life and death struggle with the monster.

If you are lucky, you manage to kill the scary beast. You go home late to your spouse/partner/significant other and say: "Whew, what a day!" as you wipe your beleaguered brow.

Next day you get up exhausted, go to the office, and what do you find? You guessed it, another massive crocodile on your desk - and so the fight goes on day after day after day.

You spend so much time fighting off crocodiles that you don't get round to doing what you are actually paid to do. Of course you know this, and you tell yourself so every night as you drive home.

Sometimes you even fall into the comforting delusion that if you keep killing off ‘just this lot of crocodiles' they will all be gone and you'll be able to ‘get back to normal'.

Sad to say, the real problem is not the crocodiles, nor the delusion. The real problem is you are so busy fighting off crocodiles you never make the time to walk down the corridor to find the swamp where the crocs are breeding.

Good strategy is about sorting out the swamps - both in your offices and your markets. Strategy means standing back from the day-to-day battles and doing some hard thinking, talking, and taking action with your team.

As a leader you'll need to do some careful planning and structuring to get the most out of your team discussions. At the very least you will scan the changes in your environment, note the competitive threats now and in the future, consider your distinctive strengths, confront your weaknesses, reconsider your company culture, and start building a revitalized competitive action programme. One that keeps you thinking ahead of the crocs and innovating faster than crocpetitors.

Be strong and single-minded about strategy! Revisit and rejuvenate it often. Do so determinedly and systematically so you come out on top. Or sooner or later you will get eaten.

Kuper is a consultant in strategy and organisational management. Visit www.competitivestrategy.co.za

(I just love this analogy!)

SoCal Attractions in Photos - kcet.org

4 August 2011

California Alligator Farm

In Jurassic Park, author Michael Crichton and filmmaker Steven Spielberg imagined an amusement park designed to showcase Mesozoic-era reptiles. Their imagined park had a real-life antecedent in Los Angeles in the form of Lincoln Heights' California Alligator Farm, a gated, exotic zoo where the chief attractions were the bone-crushing "living fossils" that have persisted on Earth relatively unchanged since the Age of Dinosaurs.

The brainchild of Francis Earnest and Joe Campbell, the California Alligator Farm opened in 1907 near the intersection of Mission Road and Lincoln Park Avenue. Earnest and Campbell segregated the alligators by size to discourage cannibalistic behavior, but they remarkably did not separate the gators from their human visitors. As the photos below show, Alligator Farm visitors—including young children—were encouraged to walk or swim among the dangerous reptiles.

If close encounters with the gators wasn't enough, various attractions kept visitors entertained. Alligators climbed to the top of a chute and then took a belly-slide to the pool below. Tourists could also climb aboard a saddled Billy the Alligator—whose gaping jaws appeared in dozens of Hollywood films—for a ride around the farm. The park's operators also staged spectacles such as alligator wrestling and the feeding of live chickens to the gators.

In 1953, the California Alligator Farm relocated to Buena Park, across the street from Knott's Berry Farm. The park closed in 1984, plagued by declining attendance.

1911 postcard from the California Alligator Farm in Lincoln Heights. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library Photograph Collection.

Women dine in a pond filled with alligators at the California Alligator Farm. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library Photograph Collection.

Exterior of the California Alligator Farm building. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library Photograph Collection.

A uniformed park worker tickles the underside of an alligator's mouth. Courtesy of the Title Insurance and Trust / C.C. Pierce Photography Collection, USC Libraries.

Postcard from the California Alligator Farm, circa 1907. Courtesy of the Werner Von Boltenstern Postcard Collection, Department of Archives and Special Collections, Loyola Marymount University Library.

A young child has a close encounter with the alligators at the California Alligator Farm. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library Photograph Collection.