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The Big, The Bad and the Dead
By Anthony Williams
It didn’t get that big by being stupid!! - How many times have you heard people say that about animals? Wiley old creatures which when their spark of youth begins to fade measure up to their younger counterparts using wisdom, cunning and experience to outwit the food-chain. Enormous ambling elephant carrying huge ivory, stealing through the night to raid crops before sneaking back beyond Parks’ boundaries, or gnarled and secretive leopard who have learned from countless brushes with danger and death that all is not always as it seems. Ironically, as age dims their youthful agility, these are the creatures that often turn to man for sustenance. Not always just raiding his crops or stealing his livestock, but often preying on man himself. We neatly categorise the hunting of these creatures into that of PAC - or Problem Animal Control - seeking them out for eradication more than their trophy quality. But make no mistake, many of those animals who learn to exploit man as part of the food chain, are enormous.
This task of PAC often falls to the professional hunting community - men in the field working in close proximity to villagers and whose dual role it is to keep the peace between man and beast as well as find quality trophies for paying clients. Sometimes though, the role of peacekeeper falls to others. People who work with communities in different roles are often on the scene when tragedy strikes, or at least the first outsiders to arrive. One such individual is Steven Curle, with a typical farm up-bringing in which hunting played a large part - usually for the pot. Involved in missionary type work in Zimbabwe, he has often been closest when aggrieved villagers need help, and through a learner professional hunters license, works with the authority in the control of problem animals.
Wondering around his house, evidence aplenty attests to his hunting and some of the animals he has taken. While not a sport hunter, he keeps the odd trophy - grim reminders of the often gory tasks he is assigned - but seldom takes a camera or a tape measure. One of his specialities is identifying and killing problem crocodiles - usually man-eaters, a task he says affects one in pretty short time. As he recalls the drama of countless scenes, he remembers “Waves of emotion flow through the villagers. Usually only the men are present, as in tradition, women are not allowed at the scene.” Grief follows anticipation as the hunt commences, which is then followed by some jubilation should the animal be killed. This is soon replaced by dread and more grief as the croc is opened up, and human remains confirm their worst fears. “It gets harder and harder to participate in the aftermath.” Says Steve. As Steve became involved in PAC through his humanitarian work, his priority is always to recover the human remains.
Steve goes on, “It is not unusual for more than one croc to have feasted on a human victim, and if all the remains are not recovered, the other culprits need to be identified and shot... usually at the insistence of the villagers.” But this often leads to conflict with Parks practices, as their mandate is shoot the main animal and get out. Eliminating a bunch of animals in the hope they are part of the problem is not the way to go, but angry villagers seldom heed this. “I have become pretty attuned to identifying man-eating crocs,” says Steve. “They behave differently, and it does not take long to identify them.” Steve usually gets to the scene as early as possible in the day, and stakes out the waters from a good vantage point. Behavioural differences soon begin to identify the culprit or culprits, though there is often one main offender. Local knowledge from the villagers helps too... where they normally bask, what time they come out of the water and so on. This allows Steve to set his ambush and wait should he not have identified the man-eater, though he avers the culprit is usually the biggest croc in the dam and usually out-weighs any other crocodiles by a noticeable margin. This exceptional size is probably due to their human/livestock diet and separates them from their smaller brethren.
This was the crocodile shot in 2007 which the poacher helped drag around the dam before it was butchered.
“Man-eaters seem to know they have crossed a line.” Says Steve. “They tend to hide, basking in the most inaccessible parts of the water-body. Any approach by strangers, and they are gone.” Steve believes his white skin is instantly recognisable to crocs as “different” and a threat forcing them into hiding. However, if cornered and threatened, they will charge - another trait Steve believes comes from their man-eating habits. Should the croc not have finished feeding, there is often some sort of a oil slick evident on the water, and Steve has even seen crocs shepherding their floating victim’s remains using their snouts to nudge it through the water to a safe feeding place. A well-fed croc will normally need to raise its body temperature by basking in order to effectively digest the meal, and this is another tell-tale sign Steve looks for. This is especially so in the cooler winter months.
One particular story involved a croc at a dam Steve had visited two years previously. In 2007, he had been called in to shoot a known man-eater. To his surprise, a fish poacher was plying his trade on the dam, and the Parks officials arrested him and he assisted in dragging the dead crocodile through the water along the shoreline to present it to the villagers. A chilling prospect considering the nature of the crocs that lived there. In 2009 when Steve was called back to shoot another man-eater, he was dismayed to learn that the victim was non other than the poacher they arrested in 2007. A local TV station was also on the scene, and filmed much of the elimination and recovery of the croc. As part of the program, the reporter interviewed a youth whose rather bent and misshapen arm was in a plaster cast... an injury he had sustained two weeks before while bathing in the same dam. It is believed he was attacked by the same crocodile which Steve had just shot, and in whose stomach they found the remains of the poacher. On that day, Steve shot the three of the culprits, but was called back ten days later to shoot a fourth. All four crocs contained various remains of the poacher.
As an interesting sidebar to the television footage, Steve pointed out the still beating heart of the croc, some two hours after being shot dead! In addition, while butchering the croc they recovered a .32 calibre bullet from an old wound in the skin.
While Steve does a lot of PAC crocodile hunting, he is also called upon to attend to other beasties, among them hippo, baboons and hyena. As can be seen from those pictured here, they too exhibit incredible body size. Unfortunately though, as already stated, Steve seldom measures or weighs the creatures and one can only guess at their monster sizes.
One of the four man-eaters shot by Steve after they had consumed the luckless poacher. RIGHT - Some of the remains recovered from this croc. Note the considerable digestion of flesh off the bone, taken place in just 10 days.
One of the man-eaters basking in the sun on a relatively inaccessible part of the dam. Many of Steve’s shots on crocs are over 200 metres, due to their careful habit of keeping a low profile.
Another of Steve’s man-eaters, also estimated to be over 18 feet. Steve has shot many of these super-crocs in relatively small impoundments of water, and believes that they are in fact old residents of these waters and not transient visitors from bigger bodies of water. When interviewing many of the elders close to where the man-eaters live, it has become evident that the same croc has been present for a long time and known to the older villagers. Interestingly, many of these dams were built in 1950s and 60s and Steve believes they were probably there from the start, but that it is their change in diet that has enabled them to remain in the smaller waters and attain unusual size.
This is an old matriarch hyena which had been hunting and eating fully grown cows by itself in the Macheke area of Zimbabwe. She was too clever to come to a bait, or even return to one of her own kills, but responded aggressively to a recording of hyena feeding. After a short stalk on the occupants of the Land Cruiser, she boiled out of the bush in an attempt to attack the source of the sound. Steve shot her at near point blank range. While she was not weighed or measured, it can be seen from the picture and cured skull that she was indeed a huge animal. Steve remembers her gums being so warn down, that broken teeth and root systems were exposed.
His tools of the trade are geared for long range shooting, a skill he has honed to a fine art. He uses a Nikon Monarch Laser 800 range finder to confirm shot distances, and for shots longer than 100 metres he uses his Ruger Model 77 .300 Win Mag scoped with a Leupold 3.5 - 10x50 AO with Leupold Dot Reticle, loaded with 200grn Swift A-Frame bullets. The rifle is fitted with a recoil reducer in the stock and a Pachmyer decelerator pad. Some of his shots range out over 250 metres. Shorter shots are taken using his .416 Rigby Ruger Magnum rifle also fitted with a Leupold scope (2,5 - 8x36) loaded with 400grn Swift A-Frame bullets. As he is often called to actually climb into deep water to retrieve the animals he has shot, his life literally depends on his skill. He quips “While poking around in the murky depths trying to locate a sunken croc, I often analyse the accuracy and efficacy of my shot lest I become the next victim.” Steve uses a neck shot on crocs - aiming between the point of the shoulder and the backward extremity of the mouth - as this shot anchors the animal immediately and is sure to kill. While he uses a specially converted aluminium pool brush pipe fitted with large treble fishing hooks at one end to prod the lake or river bed locating the croc, it invariably means he or someone else will have to dive to tie a rope to it.
Man as part of the food chain is as old as life itself. Rural people seem to have developed a more philosophical approach to man-eaters, and in the case of crocodiles, believe that unless a measure of witchcraft is involved, one can be relatively safe from attack by them. It is quite fatalistic, but a cultural trait which maybe offers some peace of mind when living in such close proximity to nature. There is often a squabble which develops over the right to the dead crocs, as in most cases the villagers want to eat the animal in order to avenge the death of a community member.
For years, the image of the crocodile shot by Steve has been circulating the internet, boasting mythical alligators and terrorizing man-eating crocodiles. We publish this story to alay the myths and tell of Problem Animal Control in Zimbabwe.
In the 17 years Steve has been involved in PAC, he has shot 36 hippo. This hippo had taken up residence in a small farm dam, and had killed two farm workers as they were changing irrigation pipes in a wheat field he was grazing in. His tusks measured a staggering 30 inches - so long that they protruded through the top of his mouth through two naturally worn holes. It is believed that hippo are responsible for more human deaths in Africa than any other single animal. There are few things more dangerous and lethal than encountering a hippo on land, any distance from the water. They can range very far from their home water to graze after nightfall, and will often be encountered up to 10 or more kilometres from water, and often where least expected.
A sizeable male baboon which had been intimidating villagers and stealing crops.
Man has long been a dietary component for many of Africa’s top predators - stealthy leopard, marauding lion, evil hyena and of course, the cold and merciless crocodile. By far the main man-eating that goes on is among Africa’s rural folk. They live in simple abodes – usually constructed of flimsy materials like sticks, mud and grass - no running water, electricity etc. – and are very reliant on the natural world around them as they follow a subsistence life-style, often below the poverty line. Those who live close to any water body will spend a good proportion of their time fishing the banks with simple stick poles – no reels or fancy equipment – to feed themselves and family, or cropping on river and lake shores. More often than not, they will sometimes stand in the water, waste deep as they fish.
Some feel there is safety in numbers… playing the odds game so to speak, and hope the guy who gets taken by a croc is not them. Croc attacks are common, and when they occur, those remaining all take off for a few days after an attack, then return later in a group again. Add to this the fact that many African cultures have a strong superstition attached to crocodiles, and believe if you are going to get taken, it is because you have done something to deserve it or have been cursed, and there is nothing that can be done to avoid the attack. Likewise, if you are a good person, and free of curses, you can swim with crocs and they will not harm you.
City dwellers on the other hand, have become de-sensitised by a more urban, civilised and inane lifestyle. Educated, they seldom take chances, though often fall foul of Africa’s wildest due to ignorance, carelessness, or just plain bad luck. This often while holidaying and enjoying nature in all its glory... until it turns ugly. And there is nothing more sinister than a crocodile.
If you have ever watched one of the many documentaries on the Masai Mara and wildebeest migration, and the havoc crocodiles wreak on animals swimming across the river, you will be amazed at the stealth, cunning and sheer terror these creatures instil. Laying just millimetres below the water’s surface, they are able to approach their victims to within inches, before launching missile-like out of the water to fix their unsuspecting quarry in locked jaws, dragging them back into the water. Invariably, this is followed by the “death roll”, a manoeuvre in which the croc spins its body in an attempt to tear bits of meat from the prey. Should the poor creature still be struggling, it is dragged beneath the surface, and patiently held till it drowns. Chilling indeed!
Sitting at the hospital bedside of one Lourens Erasmus, the hair on my neck prickled with these images as he related his story. The victim of a crocodile attack at a fishing camp along Lake Kariba on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, he survived a vicious mauling which had all the hallmarks typical of these beasts.
Lourens (aged 53), a farmer, and his good friend visiting from South Africa, Frank Trott (aged 72), had been at Kariba for a week of bream fishing. Returning to their lakeside chalet - sighted on the point jutting into the bay - they prepared dinner as the sun set and a full moon peaked over the eastern horizon. Although the bream fishing had been good, Lourens who had never caught a silver barbel wandered down to the water’s edge outside the lodge, scouting for a safe and comfortable spot to set up for a bit of night fishing. Kariba had been rising, and water had started flooding the still green grass of the shallow flood-plain. Walking a few metres along the bank in the almost ankle deep water, he stopped at a point where thicker Kariba water-weed marked deeper water. Curiosity satisfied, Lourens turned to walk back to the lodge. It was just after 8pm.
The bay in which the crocodile attack occurred.
From behind him, the water exploded in a spray of weed and debris, as a croc which had been laying in the thicker weed watching him, launched its attack. In a split second, Lourens now laying in the water, was held firmly in the crushing jaws of the croc. Its top jaw clamped across his lower back, with the lower jaw piercing his upper right thigh between his legs, the croc easily overpowered him and dragged him backwards into the water. Once in deeper water, the reptile began its death roll, flicking Lourens head over heel several times. As it stopped, Lourens’ head broke the surface and he was now almost chest deep in the lake. In spite of the shock of the sudden attack, Lourens realised a croc had him, and remembering stories that poking at an attacking croc’s eyes will trigger a release, he reached down locating the bony ridge above its eye. As he pushed his finger deep into the eye socket, the croc began shaking him again forcing Lourens to abandon his attempts. Unable to move, he called out for help.
Somewhere out on the water, and across the bay, several people were answering Lourens’ cries for help. Frank, unaware of what had transpired over the previous couple of minutes, ran out to see what was happening. “A croc’s got me” said Lourens... the silver sparkling water calm around him as he stood motionless in the croc’s grip. It would seem the croc believed its prey to be submerged and drowning, and was content to lay still gathering its strength before devouring its victim.
Without hesitation, Frank waded in to help Lourens, reaching out for his hand. As they touched, Lourens felt something brush past his free leg, at which point Frank exclaimed he too had been attacked. In a second, Frank was dragged into deeper water and disappeared from sight.
A deathly silence fell over the moonlit night again and Lourens cried out once more, and was answered by a subsistence fisherman somewhere out on the water in a small boat laying night nets. Paddling toward Lourens, he called reassuringly. As the small 10' boat came alongside, Lourens latched on and manoeuvred himself around the stern to grab on to the transom. Daring not to move too much, Lourens was handed a section of broomstick like wood by the fisherman - probably a piece of a broken paddle. Carefully directing it down, Lourens probed to find the croc’s open jaws, and in one movement, plunged the stick into the croc’s throat. He was released immediately and clambered on board the little boat.
Back on the shore, unconcerned by his injuries - or not even fully aware of their extent, Lourens quickly got to his truck and launched Frank’s boat. Aided by his rescuer, they scoured the bay for almost half an hour trying in vane to find Frank. Weak from shock and now in pain, Lourens had to withdraw from the search, and was rushed to the local emergency clinic in Kariba town - some 30km away, where he spent three days before being moved to Harare. Following several skin graft operations, Lourens made a full recovery. Tragically, Frank was killed by the crocodile and while his body was not recovered, National Parks did shoot a croc they identified as the culprit... tatters of shredded clothing hanging from its smiling jaws.
It is easy to become complacent on and around our many lakes and dams, and especially so at Kariba or along the Zambezi. Crocodiles are numerous and ever present in Africa’s waters. While not credited with any great intelligence, they are efficient and instinctive killers, possessed of great strength and ability. They are also known to become habituated to man’s presence and even “learn” that he is a source of food - both as a meal, and in the scraps and free fish meals he provides with fishing nets and keep chains. Kariba has seen its fair share of croc attacks over the years, but in recent times, those crocs in and around tourist centres seem to have lost their instinctual fear of man. In the wild, crocs will happily share a meal, and in the event of an attack, one should never assume there is only one culprit in the vicinity.
Professional hunters, studying Lourens’ injuries, put his attacking croc at about 9ft. Not particularly huge as far as our perception of man-eaters go, but it proves that any croc encountered in the wild can be fatally dangerous and turn man-eater.
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