Eat or be eaten

Kampala – An angry Ugandan minister has stirred up murky waters by urging villagers on the shores of Lake Victoria to hunt and eat crocodiles that have been munching up locals.

Villagers in the Bugiri and Mayuge districts in eastern Uganda have for years complained that crocodiles attack fishermen and people fetching water or firewood around the shores of Africa’s largest lake.

Although no official statistics are available, it is believed the cold-blooded predators devour dozens of Ugandans each year. Press reports said that in the past two weeks alone, crocodiles have eaten six people in the Mayuge district.

Deputy agriculture minister Aggrey Bagiire, who represents one of the constituencies in the area, has been urging people to strike back.

Bagiire said: I’ve seen the remains of someone who had been killed by these crocodiles. They are on the rampage. It is incredible.

“We’ve brought this to the attention of the government… people should be allowed to hunt and kill these crocodiles.”

Ugandans do not traditionally eat crocodile meat, Bagiire said, but called on the government to allow hunting because “people’s lives are in danger.”

Attacks

Crocodile meat is considered an exotic delicacy in neighbouring Kenya, where farms rear thousands of the reptiles and send the meat to upmarket restaurants. The meat is said to be delicious, although rather tough.

However, the calls to allow the hunting of crocodiles in Uganda provoked angry reactions from conservation officials and wildlife staff in the area, who have threatened to arrest anyone found to have killed a crocodile.

A senior official with the government-run Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said that people were bringing the attacks upon themselves.

“The people in those areas move in shallow waters and they also fish in shallow waters. They also bathe there and because of that, they are eaten by the crocodiles,” UWA’s Director of Operations Sam Mwandha said.

“They encroach on the territory of the crocodiles.”

Mwandha said that urging people to go crocodile hunting would endanger the lives of villagers as they have no professional skills for killing the crocodiles.

“Crocodile meat is very delicious, but when you tell people to go and hunt the crocodiles, they will be exposed to more danger … the animals will end up killing them instead,” Mwandha said.

Conservation authorities are encouraging people to take precautions and fish in deep waters where the crocodiles do not venture, he added.

Increased human settlements in areas which were formerly natural crocodile habitats have led to sporadic collisions between humans and the reptiles. 24.com

Nile Crocodile information

The Nile crocodile is one of the 3 species of crocodiles found in Africa and is the second largest species of crocodile. They are distributed across Africa into Kruger National Park in Southern Africa, including the island of Madagascar.

GENUS SPECIES:
Crocodylus (crocodile) niloticus (origin the Nile River)

LIFE SPAN:
Average approximately 45 years in the wild but could live up to 80 years in captivity.

DIET IN THE WILD:
The juveniles eat small aquatic invertebrates and insects, later they move later onto larger vertebrates such as fish and reptiles. The Adult crocodiles eat a wider range of large vertebrates such as antelope, buffalo, young hippos and large cats.

SIZE:
The Nile crocodile is the largest African crocodilian reaching lengths of up to 5 m (16 ft).

Crocodiles in the Kruger National Park

The number of crocodiles in the Kruger Park is estimated to be 3,000. A couple of types are represented here, the Nile crocodile, which can grow up to a length of six metres, being the most prevalent one.

The reptiles have a strong tail to propel themselves forward in the water. On land they use their equally strong legs to move their massive bodies as fast as arrows through the mud of the riverbank.

Crocodiles usually go hunting in the shelter of the evening twilight. While they are small, they eat mainly on worms, beetles and crabs. Later they add fish, waterbirds and medium sized mammals to the list of their prey.