Hippopotamus is one of the most deadly animals in Africa. The mosquito is the only animal killing more people than the “hippo”. By the Ruzizi River in Burundi, just before the river enters Lake Tanganyika, big animals are easily spotted. Standing by the riverbank, looking at the hippos is an amazing experience, but since the big animals don’t move around too much in the middle of the day, it’s nothing to keep staring at.
Anyway, while standing on the riverbank looking at the hippos, you should bear in mind that Gustave is roaming this area. Rumors say that Gustave is the biggest crocodile in the world and he is amazingly old, kills people for fun and is much cleverer than men. He is some kind of a legend, but bear in mind that there is no such thing as fiction without facts.
The World's Biggest Crocodile?
Gustave is actually a real and massive Nile crocodile living in Burundi. Estimates of his size vary, but he is often described to be between 6 and 7 meters in length and weighing more than 1 ton. He is the largest confirmed crocodile ever seen in Africa.
He is reported to be a notorious man-eater, killing people for sport by snatching them from the riverbank. He is rumored to have claimed as many as 300 victims from of the shores of Ruzizi River and northern Lake Tanganyika. No wonder Gustave has attained a near-mythical status and is greatly feared by people in the region. He is even said to hunt and leave his victims' corpses uneaten. Legend tells that during one raid, Gustave wolfed down more than a dozen people and still seemed hungry at the end of the day.
He is Too Clever
Gustave was actually named by Patrice Faye, a French resident of Burundi for more than 20 years and self-taught naturalist who has been pursuing the crocodile since 1998. Faye claims to have seen Gustave with three different people in his jaws. Faye and a documentary team attempted to capture him in 2002 using an enormous trap, but the crocodile not only avoided it, but seemed to taunt the team as well. A documentary, titled Capturing the Killer Croc, from the attempt was aired on PBS in May 2004.
The park rangers at the Ruzizi National Park can show you pictures of the croc. They tell about the not so successful attempt to capture Gustave. “It is not possible to capture him”, they say. “He is too clever”.
In parts of Asia and Australia saltwater crocodiles 6 meters long are well known and easy to spot; individuals 7 meters long have been reported. Therefore, Gustave is not exceptional in size compared to other crocodiles, although he is much larger than the average male Nile crocodile. He is known for the few distinct bullet scars that cover his body: one on his head, and three on his right side. Based on his size, Gustave is estimated to be at least 65 years old (the average maximum age for an adult male Nile crocodile is 45 years). He was sighted most recently in February 2008 according to National Geographic sources.
Due to his size and weight he hunts larger, heavier animals like wildebeest, humans and zebra. Rumors claim that he has even killed and eaten an adult hippo, which would normally be able to chew a smaller crocodile in half.
It is likely that the many of the stories involving Gustave's habitual man-eating behavior are exaggerated or pure fiction. While it is very likely he is a multiple man-eater (considering Nile crocodiles in general are known to prey on humans), 300 victims seems unlikely. Killing for fun is also not a very common characteristic for crocs, but bear in mind: He might be an exception!
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Birgit Ryningen - Birgit (born 01.11.77) is a judo player with one Nordic and several Norwegian Champion titles. She holds a PhD in material science and ...
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