1

Two Toed Tom (American Alligator from Florida-Alabama)

Those living in northwest Florida along the Alabama border had known of a huge alligator that has lurked in the swamps of the area since about 1900. In the 1920s,

his presence became very well known to people in the area. He was said to be at least fourteen feet long in the earliest reports. However, over the years, he has

been reported as being up to twenty feet long. Two Toed Tom was a rather obscure man-eater, and today it is hard to know which parts of his story are real, and which ones are myth. This huge male American alligator was said to roam the

swamps in the border of Alabama and Florida during the 20s. He had lost all but two of the toes in his left hand, and left very recognizable tracks on the mud, so he was nicknamed Two Toed Tom by the local people. He was said to have lost his toes in an iron trap. Some reports described him as having red eyes!

Tom made himself infamous by devouring scores of cows, mules and, of course, humans, particularly women (snatched as they washed clothes in the water). Due

to his frequent attacks, many farmers tried to kill Tom, but bullets were said to have little effect on him and all attempts on his life failed. Several spotted him and

opened fire with various firearms. High-powered rifles, shotguns and pistols seemed to have little or no effect on him. Once hit, he simply submerged and swam away. As the huge livestock-eating gator terrorized the area, the story spread and grew

and people claimed he was no normal gator, but a demon sent from Hell to terrorize them.

At some point, Tom made a meal of a mule, belonging to a farmer named Pap

Haines. Haines had heard of the monster for twenty years and had been waging a private war against it. The loss of his mule angered Haines to the point that he

swore total destruction of the huge gator. According to writer, professor Carl Carmer, Haines packed dynamite into 15 syrup buckets and with the help of his son, set out to locate the killer gator. Haines 12-year-old granddaughter followed

the two. They found a pond that showed signs of a huge alligators presence. They started dynamiting the pond, killing most living things in the pond. Neighbors heard

the commotion and rushed to the scene, arriving just as the last of the dynamite exploded. The explosion killed everything in the pond, but not Tom. Moments after the explosion, the farmer and his son heard a horrible scream and splashing sounds

coming from a nearby pond. They rushed to the place and saw Toms bright eyes for a moment before he disappeared under the surface. The screams were later

explained when the half eaten remains of the farmers young grand-daughter

2

appeared on the shore.

Following this incident, numerous sightings through Holmes County, Walton County

and Washington County, all in Florida. Livestock was reported to have been killed and eaten or partially eaten. Parents became concerned about the safety of their children. All reports mentioned that the huge gator left footprints, with one foot

having only two toes! Near Esto, Florida in Holmes County, the bellowing of a large gator was heard many mornings. Residents identified him as Tom by the two toed

tracks he left in the sand and the mud. A group of teenagers in the Esto area actually saw the monster and reported that previous estimates of its size were grossly underestimated. They guessed it was between eighteen and twenty-four

feet in length!

In time, the stories and the sightings began to diminish and Tow-toed Tom faded into history as a legend, either a myth or a real monster involved in the actual

incidents reported. At any rate, he was a legend, believed by some and not by others. By the 1950s, many remembered the reports, but no recent incidents had

been reported by that time. The most amazing part of the story is that, although he was most famous during the 20s, Tom was seemingly still alive during the 80s, when a huge gator lacking two of his toes was reported in the same swamps where

he had roamed his entire life. If this was the same alligator, he would be about eighty-years of age! The legend, which had lain dormant for years, was suddenly

revitalized. A reward was offered for actual proof of his existence, prompting residents to conduct hunting trips to locate and possibly kill him. It is said that NBC News covered the story, but again, Toed-toed Tom eluded them all.

It is impossible to know whether this particular story was true or simply a folk tale,

but everything seems to indicate that Two Toed Tom was real, and that he continued to roam the swamps of Florida for many years. Many hunts for the living

legend were organized, but Two Toed Tom was never captured.

Gustave (Nile Crocodile from Burundi)

In the African, conflict-ridden country of Burundi lives the greatest man-eater of

our times, a male Nile crocodile measuring over six meters long and weighing around one ton. Crocodiles, like orcs and goldfish, don't ever stop growing; as long as they get a steady supply of food, they'll get bigger and bigger. A normal Nile

Crocodile is about 13 to 14 feet long, but Gustave is believed to be over 20. He is the largest Nile crocodile alive, as well as the largest individual predator in the

entire African continent, and according to the natives and to Patrice Faye (a French

3

naturalist who has spent years trying to capture the man-eater), he has killed over

300 people by now - including the wife of the Russian ambassador to Burundi! Although still alive and active, the crocodile (nicknamed Gustave by Faye) has already become a legend. (Theres even a movie loosely based on his story Primeval, although it is quite bad).

Faye recounted his investigation of Gustave. In 1998 he first heard reports of a man-eating crocodile from commercial fishermen who free dive the croc-infested

waters of Lake Tanganyika for cichlids, a prized aquarium species that can fetch up to $150 per fish in U.S. and European markets. "My fishermen were dismayed," he explained. "They told me that a colleague had been eaten by an enormous

crocodile. The fishermen recognized the croc; it came around sometimes, disappeared for a few years, and then came back to kill again." Faye took out a

license to hunt and kill the culprit and began following his trail of terror up and down Lake Tanganyika. The chief in Kabezi village told him of four deaths and two

disappearances. "Witnesses spoke of a large crocodile, larger than a hippo," Faye said. "Three months later, I heard of 17 more deaths. One was a 15-year-old student taken away in sight of all. Soldiers fired their Kalashnikovs at the croc but

said that it swallowed the bullets." Government officials and police authorities provided Faye with records of crocodile attacks going back to 1987 for the region

surrounding Magara, Kanyosha, and Minagothe three villages along the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika where the majority of the attacks had occurred. The attacks happened in cycles, with a series of victims taken in rapid

succession between the months of October and February, and then nothing for three years. In each instance, authorities blamed an enormous crocodile for the

rampage.

At that point, all Faye had was a list of victims and stories about a huge crocodile. But which huge crocodile? The answer came on one of Faye's frequent visits to Rusizi National Park, during the spring of 1999. The park's senior guide,

Habonimana Ladislas, told Faye that the park's biggest crocodile had recently reappeared after a six-month absence. Faye knew this creature; it was the fatter of

two immense bulls living in the park. Whenever it was around, the thinner bull gave up its territory in the river and moved into an estuary near the town of Gatumba. Faye had already named the submissive croc Gatumba and the dominant one

Gustave. "I asked to see Ladislas's reports on the presence and absence of crocodiles," Faye said. "They showed that each of Gustave's absences from the

delta corresponded directly with a period of attacks along the lakeshore."

Natives say he kills for fun, not just for food; that he kills several people in every attack, and then disappears for months, or even years, only to reappear later in

another, different location to kill again. No one can predict when or where he will appear next. He likes to kill humans. Witnesses have seen Gustave cut through whole groups of people as large as five or six, but he rarely seems to eat a whole

person. Instead, he will take a bite and move on, literally killing a man just to watch him die. Like other crocs, Gustave tends to feast on those parts of his victims

that are most easily torn off. "Generally, the bodies are not entirely devoured," Faye says. "The legs, abdomens, arms, and heads are usually missingonly the

4

victims' torsos remain." When Gustave goes on a feeding binge, he's a glutton,

consuming several victims in just a few days. He is also said to have a monstrous appetite, and rumor has it that he killed and devoured an adult male hippopotamus (an extremely dangerous and powerful animal that most crocodiles avoid). As the

human population of the Rusizi delta has swollen during 15 years of war, once plentiful numbers of antelope, elephant, and other game have been decimated.

Doesn't it make sense that when careless humans replaced wary antelope along the river's banks, meat-seeking crocodiles might have changed their dietary habits accordingly? Such a theory gains weight when one considers another source of

human flesh: casualties of the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that have been thrown into the Rusizi in such numbers that they are reported to

have clogged the river's mouth. Gustave's unholy feeding habit may be just another grotesque consequence of the violence that has gripped this region for decades.

When soldiers fired on Gustave, he supposedly "swallowed their bullets." Gustaves body armor carries countless scars made by knives, spears and even firearms. A dark spot on the top of his head is the only remaining trace of a bullet wound that was supposed to put an end to his reign. But all hunters (and even, once, a group

of armed soldiers) have failed to kill him. Gustave is also known for the three bullet scars on his body. His right shoulder blade was also found to be deeply wounded.

Circumstances surrounding the four scars are unknown. Scientists and herpetologists who have studied Gustave claim that his uncommon size and weight impedes his ability to hunt the species' usual, agile prey such as fish, antelope and

zebra, forcing him to attack larger animals such as hippopotamus, large wildebeest and, to some extent, humans.

Faye himself tried to capture Gustave by building a huge underwater trap, but,

although the crocodile did show up, he never approached the cage. He just swam around it, as if mocking his would-be captors. And during Faye's first attempt to capture him, the old witch doctor in Gatumba poured powerful potions on the trap

while murmuring sacred spellsboth to no avail. Faye also tried to capture the crocodile with a team of other scientists. A trap cage weighing a tonne and nearly 9

meters (30 feet) in length was also developed. The hunting team then located Gustave and installed the cage and baited itand also placed a hidden infrared camera into the cage. Several different forms of bait were installed, yet none of

them attracted Gustave or any other creature. The scientists also then installed three giant snares on strategic banks to increase their chances of capture; although

smaller crocodiles were caught by the traps, Gustave wasn't. In their last week of time before having to leave the country, the team then installed a live goat into the

cage; but night after night no results were yielded. On one night, the camera gave out due to the stormy weather; the next morning, the cage was found partially submerged and sunken into the water, whilst the goat had disappeared. It was

speculated that the rising waters from the rain helped the monster to escape his hunters, or that the trap cage failed; but with no visual evidence as to what

happened, and now forced to leave Burundi due to political conditions, the team was unable to discover what had happened on that night.

Said to be over 60 years old, he is estimated to be born somewhere along the Nile

5

River near Burundi. Most of the other crocodiles of Gustave's generation were

hunted down by poachers but somehow, Gustave beat the odds. Nile crocodiles throughout Africa were heavily hunted during the colonial era for sport and profit. Bounties were paid for croc carcasses and, in some countries, even for eggs. During

the 1940s, '50s and '60s, officials routinely ignored hunting quotas, and some commercial hunters bagged more than a dozen crocs every night to sell the meat

and skins. Big bulls of Gustave's age and size were exceptionally rare then and are even rarer now; perhaps a single massive individual in every 100,000 was lucky enough to survive the onslaught. Gustave is probably too experienced and smart to

be fooled, so it seems likely that he will continue with his depredations and perhaps, soon, claim the title of the most prolific man eater for himself.

Things have changed a lot since the times of the Champawat tigress; Patrice Faye

no longer wants to kill Gustave. He wants to protect him from human retaliation; by capturing Gustave alive and keeping him in a safe enclosure, Faye hopes to save

human lives as well as the man eater himself, and perhaps use him as breeding stock to help the conservation of the Nile crocodile as well. He now began envisioning the croc as a kind of genetic wellspring, capable of reinvigorating a

flagging population of Rusizi crocs. Faye believes that if Gustave were captured and placed in the cement enclosure that he had built in Rusizi National Park, killings of

this sort would end. What's more, the infamous giant would attract paying visitors to the park, which has suffered during the civil war. Nothing satisfies a morbid curiosityor keeps a zoo's turnstiles spinninglike a man-eater. The enclosure has already been built in the Ruzizi National Park of Burundi, waiting for the capture of the greatest man eater of our times. The last reported sighting of Gustave was in

February 2008 by National Geographic sources. A lack of subsequent reports makes Gustave's current status unknown.

Osama / John Major (Nile Crocodile from Uganda)

Osama the crocodile, the terror of Lake Victoria and reputedly the world's most prolific man-eater. Only a few weeks back in 2005, he was feasting on the remains

6

of a 12-year-old boy, the 83rd victim from Luganga village he had dragged to his

lair on the papyrus banks of Africa's largest lake. However, a beast once thought to be charmed, if not immortal, was finally captured by 50 local men and wildlife officials after a stakeout in southern Uganda lasting seven days and seven nights in

the same year.

Osama is now the property of Uganda Crocs Ltd, purveyors of fine crocodile-skin handbags destined for the followers of fashion in Italy and South Korea. Despite a

fondness for human flesh, Osama, who measures 16ft from snout to tail, and weighs one ton, is to be used for breeding stock.

Though wildlife campaigners will consider it shameful that Osama will spend his

remaining days giving birth to handbags, Luganga locals believe he has got off lightly. Since 1991, he has attacked both young and old in a reign of terror, eating his way through a tenth of the village population.

In the early years, the people of Luganga nicknamed the crocodile John Major in

recognition of his size and his namesake's global prominence at that time. But as the killer croc became more brazen in the late 1990s, and following the Al-Qa'eda

attacks on American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, he was re-christened Osama.

Not only did he carry children away from the shore as they filled buckets with

water, he would often swim beneath fishing boats and capsize them. More recently, Osama began to jump into the wooden vessels themselves, highly unusual behaviour for a crocodile, before carrying off victims. Paul Kyewalyanga was rowing

in the back of his boat while his brother Peter fished from the prow when Osama invited himself aboard.

"He just emerged from the water vertically and flopped into the boat," he said. "The

back of the boat where I was sitting was submerged." As Paul called frantically for help, the crocodile latched on to Peter's leg and began to pull. "Peter was clutching the side screaming," he said. "They fought for about five minutes until I heard a

tearing sound. Peter shouted, 'He's broken my leg.' Then he let go and was dragged into the lake. A few days later we found his head and his arm." Terror gripped the

village. Children were forbidden from the shore. But the livelihood of the community depended on fishing. Some moved away but most continued to brave the waters. "All we could do was pray," said one villager, John Mangene, 64. "We

did a lot of that. I would wake up in the middle of the night and get down on my knees."

In the end, their revenge came after the week-long vigil, mounted by local men

who squatted patiently on the shores of Lake Victoria as they lay in wait. Officials from the Uganda Wildlife Authority had draped a pair of cow's lungs over the

branches of a tree near Osama's favourite hiding place, known by horrified locals as "The Butchery", as bait. Flailing furiously, the crocodile hung by its jaws from the tree. A copper snare had been concealed within the cow's organs and the more

Osama tried to break free, the more his teeth became entangled.

7

Whiteback / Bujang Senang (Saltwater Crocodile from Sarawak)

A 5.8 m long Saltwater Crocodile named Whiteback (due to distinctive white markings on his back) gained considerable notoriety in Sarawak, Malaysia, after

killing 14 people. Bujang Senang was 19 feet long and had lurked in the river for several decades. After years of failed attempts, Whiteback was finally caught in May

1992 after he had claimed his last victim - a 30-year-old woman. Whiteback is one of many documented man-eating crocodiles from Sarawak. The local Iban people generally tolerate crocodiles, even large ones, until they kill a person.

The crocodile was said to be rampant in the area around Batang Lupar since 1941.

The story of the male crocodile was regularly bandied around by locals. The single most infamous man eating crocodile was a giant that terrorized the Lupar River in

Sarawak, Borneo. His name was Bujang Senang. The name means happy bachelor. He was believed to be an incarnate of Iban warrior Simalungun. So the story goes he was one a much-feared human warrior who had never been defeated

in battle. His wife betrayed him to his foes who ambushed and beheaded him. His spirit became a huge crocodile on being cursed that haunted the Lupar River. He

had vowed to exact revenge on generations that mistreated him.

The first attack that grabbed the headlines occurred 26th June 1982. Bangan Anak Pali and his brother Kebir had gone fishing for shrimp. Banang had just been

appointed a tribal chief. The 26th began as a happy day for him. At one point a banded kingfisher had flown across their path. In Sarawak this is considered a bad

omen, much like a black cat crossing your path. But Bangan was not a superstitious man and the pair continued their trip.

The catch was poor and not wanting to return to the longhouse empty-handed

Bangan climbed out of his boat and waded into the water to get closer to the shrimps. His last words to his brother were Name utanibaka batang, whats that it feels like a log?

8

It was not a log. Kebir said there was a thundering sound and the river exploded.

His brother vanished. What little was left of him was found five days later. His death caused an outcry. Bangan was a popular man. His ancestors fought alongside Charles Brooke, the White Raja who purged the area of headhunters in the 1850s

and 1860s. The newspapers ran the headline Bujang Senang Terror and a ten year reign of terror began.

The authorities tried to capture the huge beast by bringing in teams of

sharpshooters, professional crocodile hunters, and Pawangs, Malaysian maintains. One pawing claimed to have harpooned Bujang Senang but the giant reptile had

dragged his boat against the current and dislodged the spear. A six inch hook baited with a dead monkey but their quarry ate the primate and left the steel hook twisted straight. Even a hand grenade inside a dead duck was tried but Bujang

Senang was having none of it. In another encounter two grenades were hurled at the crocodile but he escaped unscathed.

The killer avoided them all. But one thing did emerge from the hunt. Witnesses

claimed that Bujang Senang had distinctive white markings on his back. Like Moby Dick, the crocodile soon gained an air of legend about it.

But people became complacent. Bujang Senang seemed to have vanished and life began to gradually return to normal. On September the 27, at a place not far from the first attack, Badong Anak Apong, 51 was out gathering shrimps. A massive

object rammed his boat tossing him into the water. The object was none other than Bujang Senang. Badong was seized and thrashed about like a rag doll. Horrified on

lookers ran to fetch hunters with rifles from a local longhouse. They estimated the crocodile to be some twenty-five feet long. All of them saw the distinctive white back. They perused the killer and fired at it from a range of only ten feet. Despite

flinching the crocodile did not seem harmed and submerged taking the body with it.

Soon after a local farmer Bah Jukin bin Tapaling offered a reward of 300,000 rupees for anyone who could kill Bujang Senang but the monster had done his

disappearing trick again.

Five years later on February 29th 1989 he struck again. 57-year-old farmer Berain Anak Tungging was repairing his boat in shallow water. Bujang Senang rose from

the river and grabbed him about the waist. The sole witness Pandi Anak Lia was only thirty feet away from him. He heard the victim cry out Help me Im dying before he was dragged off.

Some people came forward and claimed that the white backed crocodile had been around and killing for at least thirty years. Tuah Anak Tunchun a 70-year-old man

said that a crocodile with the same distinctive markings killed his brother Inch Anak Tunchun in 1962. Others said that Bujang Senangs first victim was an Iban woman killed around 1960. No one could recall her name. A second Iban called Lindang was killed shortly afterwards. Since 1960 fourteen people had been killed by crocodiles along the Lupar River. Could they all have been the work of one rogue?

On May 21st 1992 thirty year old Dayang Anak Bayang and her elderly parents

9

were returning to their farm after visiting a longhouse. They usually waded across a

small tributary but it was high tide and the stream was deep. Her parents decided to wait for low tide but Dayang was impatient and decided to wade across. She crossed once and seeing that the water came up to her chest and no higher,

returned for her mother. She did not know that a huge crocodile lay submerged in the water. As she led her mother across, it lunged out of the water and grabbed

her. Dayangs mother beat the reptile with a tree branch but it would not the leg go. Her father screamed for help and several farmers raced to the scene. One shot at the crocodile three times but missed.

Dayang`s brother Enie Anak Bayang was fishing downriver when he was informed of the attack. He grabbed a shotgun and paddled to the spot. He saw the crocodile and shot at it twice but did it no harm.

By noon an armed posse of twenty-five were in pursuit of Bujang Senang. They suspected he had taken his victims body to a deep pool along the river and stored it among the debris. They broke into two groups. The first kept watch whilst the

second erected a fence of wood and bamboo across the lower portion of the river.

Enie found his sisters body among the debris at 12.15. At 12.30 the crocodile returned to finish its meal. Enie shot at its head at point blank range hitting the eye. Thrashing wildly the monster submerged. As it dived another man hurled a spear that lodged in its back.

As the tide began to ebb the villagers followed the killer upstream the spear shaft showing above the water. They peppered it with more shots. It reached the fence and smashed through. However a little way along a large tree had fallen across the

river and become stuck in the mud blocking the reptiles way. One man ran ahead and shot at the crocodiles head and neck forcing it to turn about and go back the way it had come. More spears were hurled but they bounced off. Bujang Senang became enraged and reared out of the water roaring, jaws agape Enie and two friends raised their guns and fired simultaneously into the crocodiles mouth. Thrashing in a mad frenzy it bit at floating wood and other flotsam and jetsam. Finally it sank its fangs into a tree trunk and expired. The man-eating career of

Bujang Senang was over.

It took four hours to haul him ashore. His length had been overestimated. At 19 feet 3 inches and weighing over a ton he was big but certainly no record holder.

This species, Indo-Pacific crocodile, can grow to over 28 feet long and weigh well over two tons. The scales on his back were indeed oddly pale. But legends die hard. Many said that the white backed crocodile was not the true Bujang Senang. One

man claimed to have seen a black crocodile 35 feet long emerge from the river shortly after Berain Anak Tungging was killed in 1989. Another man said he saw the

same creature in the area when Dayang was killed. Many feared that the black giant would start a new killing spree in revenge for its smaller kin. An anonymous

person wrote to the Sarawak Administrative Office stating: Bujang Senang cannot by killed by a bullet. Only God can determine his death.

10

It claimed 14 lives between 1982 and 1992, but the total number of victims is

unknown. The carcass was discarded into the sea but the skull is on display in the Sarawak State Museum. Some locals locals believe its descendants and family line are still roaming around within the area and pose a threat to them. Other rumours

have that Bujang Senang was actually never caught and sometimes local villagers will tend to catch a glimpse of a huge mysterious white albino coloured crocodile

every now and then.

Fergus (Saltwater Crocodile from Western Australia)

In the late 1800s, an abattoir was constructed on the banks of Cambridge gulf at Wyndem Westers, Australia. The abattoir was constructed of wrought iron sheds with concrete floors. Cattle were brought from the dusty planes of the Kimberley

plateau to the abattoir for slaughter and transportation to Perth. Cattle were slaughtered and their carcass was hung on shark steel hooks suspended from the

roof by chains.

As the workers carved up the carcasses the blood from the slaughtered animals drained onto the concrete floor. The sickening blood drained thru grooves in the

floor to exit the old shed into clay pipes. These pipes in turn drained the blood into an adjacent creek.

The creek wound its way thru the mangroves into the muddy tepid waters of Cambridge Gulf. Cambridge gulf is a massive space of water, it contains many

species of tropical animals including sharks, barramundi and trevally and most feared of all the saltwater crocodile.

The northern Australia tides are some of the greatest in the world with the tide high and lows being in excess of 30 feet. When the Cambridge gulf tide rose to its

highest point it would flood the creek that was fed the blood and offal from the abattoir. The blood and fat and offal attracted all manner of predatory beasts.

Barramundi, huge Trevally and Turrum would come up the flooded creek and gorge themselves on the available food. Bait fish first. Birds would also flock to the feast

and swoop the feeding fish and grab struggling fish with sharp talons. The vibration and stench of the whole scene attracted the sharks, as they would

come and feed furiously on the fish. Such a diversity of animals feeding attracted Australias most dangerous of predators, the saltwater crocodile.

11

Crocodiles came in numbers of up to a hundred or more to feed. Using their superior senses of navigation in nil visibility water, the reptiles attacked fish and bird alike. The bloodstained creek that became a total feeding frenzy became

known as the Blood Drain.

Abattoir workers were also attracted to the Blood Drain, they would come to watch the feeding frenzy of fish, birds, sharks and crocodiles; and lunch and smoke breaks were spent watching the amazing spectacle.

Over the years numerous people went missing around the Blood Drain, without

doubt being taken by crocodiles.

It was told by the old folk in town that a huge crocodile known as Fergus came into the Blood Drain. When he arrived the other crocodiles would panic and even leave

the water and scramble into the mangroves to get away from the monster. It was legend Fergus who was responsible for the fatal attacks on people over the years.

In late 1970s, the abattoirs were closed. While researching location for the filming of "Crocodile Man David Ireland, world renowned wildlife film producer, interviewed an old croc shooter based in Windom, a man called Tex Bowman. Tex used to hunt crocodiles for their skins in the early 1900s. Tex informed David

that he believed "Old Fergus was still alive and living in Cambridge Gulf not far from the old Blood Drain.

Tex told David that Fergus had eluded shooters for many years and only came close to shore at night. Tex believed Fergus was probably the largest surviving crocodile

in Australia and that if David was prepared to put a filming cage into the Blood Drain and attach baits to the cage and spend many nights in the cage he may

eventually film the largest croc in Australia and film a true man-eater. In 1985 David decided to try and film Fergus and a cage was built of aluminium

mesh and placed at the height watermark in the old creek know as the blood drain.

The cage was placed at the high water mark in the old creek, known as the Blood Drain. Baits were tied to the outside of the cage with powerful lights attached both

inside and outside for night filming. David gained the services of an old man named Tex Bowman. Tex was 75 years old at the time and in his younger days he was a

crocodile shooter. He had seen Fergus and had tried to kill the giant crocodile on a number of occasions after fatal attacks near Wyndem.

The Wyndem police had, in the past, hired Tex to shoot large crocodiles when people went missing or their remains revealed a fatal crocodile attack had taken

place. Most people, including the police, believed that Fergus from the Blood Drain was responsible for the fatal attacks, because Fergus was by far the largest and most aggressive crocodile in the whole area.

12

However, the cunning crocodile was never killed. Tex believed the old crocodile was

still alive and living in the vicinity. He had seen the huge croc while fishing at night for barramundi near the entrance of the Blood Drain. Tex said, The old man eater is still alive, if you bait up long enough , Fergus will come, but he will only come in

the darkness, but god knows what he will do to your flimsy cage. It was decided that the cage should be placed in the Blood Drain and be baited to get the

crocodiles used to the cage. When Fergus began feeding off the cage David would get into the cage and try and achieve the footage he so wanted.

For two months, Tex baited the cage, each night numerous crocodiles tore off the baits , the next morning Tex would re-bait the cage at low tide when it was safe to

do so .

At night, Tex would sit on the bank and watch for the huge head of Fergus to arrive, but the only crocs that came to feed were small to medium sized animals, 8

to 12 feet in length. Then, after two months, Tex caught sight of a very large crocodile at the entrance of the Blood Drain, all the other crocodiles disappeared in seconds at the arrival of this monster croc. The beast stayed only a few seconds

and vanished. The next day, Tex phoned David in Sydney and said Last night a large croc came, I think it was Fergus, I didnt get a good look at him in the darkness but he left his footprints in the mud around the cage, it is time you got in your cage, he will come back.

David gathered his cameras and went to Wyndem the next day.

David met with Tex and discussed the dangers of filming in the Blood Drain. Text said, What will you do if Fergus tears open you aluminium cage? David answered, I have a 12 gauge shotgun power head that will work underwater and a 30/30 rifle. I will be OK.

The next night David prepared himself for his first night in the cage. Because Wyndem is a small town the word got around about old Tex and David trying to lure old Fergus to a filming cage in the Blood Drain. Word also got around that David

was carrying a 12 gauge power head. This weapon was capable of killing Fergus should David find himself in the water with the monster croc.

David's 30/30 rifle would be of little use if David was to be in the water. The powerhead was designed for killing sharks, it was relatively small in size and could

be used at close range with devastating results. However, power heads were illegal weapons in Western Australia, so the police requested David come to the police

station. Once there, the police confiscated the power head, explaining their reasons. David complained bitterly that he was going to be alone in a mesh cage, at night, filming crocodiles and the power head was his last source of defence should

the crocs destroy his cage. The police took the weapon anyway.

That first night, David walked across the mud that was stained from over a hundred years of blood from the slaughter sheds, he carried his 30/30 rifle (as seen in the blood drain photo) he also had a large knife strapped to his chest for cutting ropes

13

and his 16MM bolex movie cameras. He then entered the cage for the first night of

filming. David felt vulnerable without his power head weapon but at the same time excited at the prospect of filming a legend, Fergus.

His excitement soon turned to apprehension. The cage had numerous holes drilled in the frame supports to reduce its weight. During the months the cage had sat in

the Blood Drain, large mangrove spiders had made the cage their home. As David watched the tide rise in the cage, he was shocked to see the water slowly flush out the spiders, the spiders came out of the frame holes to crawl all over the mesh

around Davids torso and head. David is not a fan of spiders and as time went on became more and more concerned these large spiders would attack his face.

The next problem was the huge temperature changes, the air temperature was in the 40s but the tidal waters of Cambridge gulf were surprisingly cold with the

muddy water flooding the cage being only 17 to 19 degrees. As the water rose in the cage, David experienced an almost 20 degree difference in temperature. This

huge temperature difference caused David to suffer from both heat and cold exhaustion, dropping his immune system and causing exhaustion.

As soon as darkness enveloped the cage, the crocodiles came to feed, David was happy to gain valuable footage of the crocodiles feeding but was not happy as

Fergus did not turn up. Because of the extreme discomfort he was suffering, he hoped that Fergus would come the first night and he would gain the footage he wanted and not have to endure any more nights in the spider filled cage. The

rotting maggot ridden baits attached to the cage were also almost too much to endure at such close range.

However, Fergus had not lived so long by being impatient, the huge croc knew

there was a man in the cage, Fergus knew men could be dangerous. Fergus was most probably responsible for the fatal attacks around Wyndem over the years, but he only attacked when his prey was unprotected. The cage may have seemed

strange to the old crocodile, he needed to watch the situation for a while before he would approach the cage.

Night after night, David became more and more exhausted, night after night David became sick from the temperature changes on his body and the smell of rotting

baits made it impossible for him to eat. On the seventh night, he contracted Dendy fever, the constant mosquito attacks to his face and neck, had delivered the virus.

He become exhausted and developed a chest infection that caused him to cough on a continual basis.

On the ninth night the moon was full and the tide higher than David had anticipated, the water rose to within inches of the top of the cage, this forced David

to open the hatch and literally stick his head out the top of the cage to breathe. This was incredibly dangerous with numerous crocodiles feeding on the baits attached to the cage. Crocodiles have little trouble jumping out of the water and

clearing their front legs. Any of the feeding crocodiles could have easily grabbed David while the tide was at its peak that night .

14

On the tenth night, David had a deadly visitor. A sea snake, with more venom than a cobra, became attracted to the smell of the rotting baits and possibly the filming lights. The olive six foot snake slid into the cage. Once inside, the snake became

agitated by the lights and when it realised it was trapped in a cage with a living mammal, the snake began striking at David with determined open jawed attacks.

David knew, if the snake bit him, he would not survive the time it would take to for

Tex to get a boat out to the cage, he also knew he could not escape from the cage and swim to shore with over a dozen crocodiles in a feeding frenzy. David drew the knife from the sheath strapped to his chest (see Knife photo) David then swiped at

the snake, luckily his aim was true and the snake was almost cut in half, the bleeding snake sank to the bottom of the cage. David had no way of knowing if the

snake was dead or alive and spent the remainder of the night worrying if the snake was alive and still in his cage and if it would attack again. Dawn seemed to never

come. By the eleventh night, David was a very sick man indeed, Tex warned him, he

should check himself into hospital as his neck was badly swollen with mosquito bites and his constant coughing was a clear warning that David had pneumonia.

David decided to give it one more night. At a little after midnight Fergus came, he swam directly to Davids cage and literally stared at David through the mesh. David wondered if he would attack the cage or take the baits, David was literally amazed at the size of the reptile, the cunning killer which slowly sunk below the surface and

proceeded to nudge the cage trying to gain access to man inside. For over an hour he ignored the baits. Meanwhile the numerous crocodiles that had

kept David company for 10 nights, reacted with what can only be described as sheer panic When Fergus arrived, they scrambled for safety, some even scurried up

into the mangroves with others disappearing out into Cambridge Gulf. There was no doubt in David's mind that Fergus had been to the blood drain before and that he was happy to kill other crocodiles that did not respect his right to rule over the

territory.

After what seemed an eternity of nudging and knocking the cage, the old croc surfaced and again stared through the mesh at David. His eyes, lit up by the filming lights, turned gold, For David, it was like looking into the eyes of death. David

recorded on film a deadly stare of a possible man eater, if other men had looked into those gold eyes they had not lived to tell the story. Slowly and confidently the

croc then turned his attention to the baits, opening his jaws he revealed teeth over four inches long. (View Fergus' teeth photo and movie this page). David had waited eleven nights to record this monstrous crocodile known as Fergus, and here only inches from his camera the legend himself was feeding, arguably the largest crocodile ever filmed in the Australias wilderness. After tearing the baits from the cage the eighteen foot dragon resumed his exploration of David's cage, bumping the cage with his bony head. As the cage

15

shook, David knew the old reptile wanted to kill him, while underwater, tiny bubbles

rose from the croc's nostrils to fill the air with the putrid smell of rotting meat. The smell of the crocodiles breath would stay in David's memory for ever. Then the crocodile vanished.

By morning light the tide began to subside, there was no sign of the croc. David

was by now totally exhausted and dangerously sick, his senses were now confused, Dendy fever and pneumonia was taking its deadly toll. The water around the cage was only a few feet deep. David had always waited until the water was completely

gone before climbing out of the cage. Tex had warned him that crocodiles can hide in shallow water to make good an attack, but David was not thinking clearly. He

wanted badly to get out of the cage, to get out of the shocking blood drain, to get away from the mosquitoes and snakes and smell of rotting flesh. He had achieved his aim of filming Fergus. He climbed out of the cage and jumped into the shallow

muddy water. Fergus was waiting for such a mistake, he had buried himself beside the cage. Standing knee deep, David began, to cut loose the filming lights from the

cage. when a girl watching from the bank saw the huge head of Fergus rise from the mud behind David and screamed out Watch out, crocodile! David scrambled up the mesh cage as the jaws of Fergus slammed shut behind him. The lethal

crushing jaws missing his legs by inches.

Standing in the stinking cage, his heart beating rapidly, sick and exhausted, David waited until the tide emptied the Blood Drain and Fergus had slithered his way back

into Cambridge Gulf before he climbed out of his filming cage. At low tide the imprint Fergus left in the mud at the base of the cage was measured to be just over

18 feet. Arguably the largest crocodile ever filmed in the wilderness of Australia. Tex Boman died in 1993, The Blood Drain footage would not have been possible without this wonderful old mans help. The old abattoir was demolished the same year and the mangrove creek known as the Blood Drain was filled in. The land was reclaimed by developers. Fergus was never seen again. The old crocodile may have

returned to the dense mangroves that line Cambridge Gulf or swam up into the very remote wilderness of the Drysdale river.

The footage shot at the Blood Drain became a special segment in David Ireland's Film Crocodile Man and was seen around the world on Discovery Channel. Sometimes, I dream of Fergus and can smell his putrid breath and hear his jaws slam shut behind me, I will never forget the spiders, the snakes or the place known

as The Blood Drain. OTHER NOTABLE REGIONAL MAN-EATING CROCODLIANS

Killer Saltwater Crocodiles of Northern Territory (Australia)

Heralded as the 'animal most likely to eat a human', saltwater crocodiles are a common feature in Australia's tropical north. The ancient predator is the world's largest reptile, growing up to seven metres long and weighing more than a tonne.

Once endangered due to commercial hunting, their numbers had dropped

dramatically to just 3,000. However, following the introduction of protection laws in 1971, this steadily increased, with scientists now estimating their population at

16

more than 100,000.

They are now so prevalent that saltwater crocodiles have been found in swimming

pools and living rooms in the northern city of Darwin. But with more crocs, comes a higher chance of attacks on humans.

The most recent fatality was just few months ago. On January 26, a 12-year-old

boy was taken by a 4-metre-long croc as he swam with other children in a swimming pond in Kakadu National Park. Park officials claim the area was well signposted as a crocodile danger-zone. Two of the fatal attacks in the past few

months have involved indigenous children.

The relationship between crocodiles and the indigenous population goes back more than 40,000 years, with the crocodile revered, respected and a source of food. Just

500 crocs can be legally hunted with commercial licenses a year, many by indigenous people, who earn a maximum of $2,000 for each croc. Some elders are also calling for the government to allow trophy hunters to catch and kill crocs with

their assistance. They would like to see hunters paid $20,000 a croc.

The Australian saltwater crocodile's natural predatory nature begins at birth, according to a Charles Darwin University study. The study found that of seven

different species, the saltwater croc was not only the most aggressive but is also prone to belligerence from the minute it leaves the egg.

They claim that if you dive off the Adelaide River bridge, 60km east of Darwin's city

centre, and start swimming, there is a 100 percent certainty of being taken by a saltwater croc. Researchers also launched the world's first crocodile attack database - CrocBITE - last month, in an attempt to confirm reports that harmful or fatal

incidents are increasing.

The attacks have led some members of the community to propose the government allow safari hunts to begin again. The federal government is expected to make a

decision in November. But scientists say this could exacerbate the problem as crocodiles are already controlling the size of the wild crocodile population.

Saltwater crocs are very territorial and the larger ones eat smaller and younger

crocs if they encroach on their territory. Scientists say if the larger ones are selectively removed, the population could be expected to expand. A cull may also give people a false sense of security and they may be more likely to swim in waters

where it is unsafe to do so.

Tourism operators and some members of the Aboriginal community are opposed to culling crocodiles. Tourism, based on wild and captive crocodiles, is the mainstay of

the Northern Territory, attracting holidaymakers from across the world. It is the Territory's second-largest industry and its largest employer. National and

international documentaries and media attention on the Northern Territory's successful crocodile management programme is arguably the primary vehicle

17

through which 'Top End' tourism is promoted against competing destinations.

Scientists say that after the recent attack, more tourists will learn about the

Northern Territory through the media, and in a macabre twist, there will be an increase in tourist bookings.

Farming crocodiles for their skin and meat is another lucrative local industry. The

Territory now supplies 50 percent of the world's premium-grade skins. Crocodile farming, based largely on ranching (collecting and selling wild eggs), generates some $25m per year in skin sales for the international high fashion industry and

has extensive commercial flow-on effects in the community.

Rogue crocodiles that are responsible for attacking people and livestock across Northern Australia are generally trapped and transported to a man-made lake

within a huge crocodile farm in Darwin. In times past, these dangerous crocs were shot, but since the animals protection, they were now trapped and taken to crocodile farms.

Killer Mugger Crocodiles of Neyyar Dam (India)

Crocodiles in Neyyar dam have a notorious past. Years ago they were known to attack humans even on land. There are chilling warnings not to put your hand in water while boating because beneath there are crocodiles.

Ever since the crocodiles were released into the reservoir in the early 1980's by the

Forest department, over a dozen locals were attacked by muggers and many of them had been handicapped. Around 750 families live on the banks of Neyyar dam.

Almost all of them have a ghastly tale to tell of death lurking in the dam area. The body of Rajamma was recovered three hours after she had disappeared while washing clothes in the dam, recounts Krishnammas son Madhu. Another victim who lost his life after suffering for years was Appu Panikkar. His hand was twisted by a crocodile while he had gone to the dam for a bath. Bhaskaran Achary,

Krishnammas neighbour, was the first person attacked by crocodiles on a Diwali day 23 years earlier. Though he escaped, the wounds hurt him to date.

Krishnamma, just like the rest of the village, harbours a terrible fear of the beasts. Though incidents of attacks are not heard of these days, no one can say anything, said Krishnamma. According to Nikhil Whitaker, son of renowned herpetologist

Romulus Whitaker, and currently working on a project with UNDP under the Small Grants Program on human crocodile conflict in India, Dams are notoriously difficult

areas for crocs to live in (as compared to their riverine systems), since they need to find an adequate prey base, perhaps adapt to new nesting strategies to avoid flooding etc. Larger crocs will certainly take people, just as a croc would take a deer

or boar; this is especially true when people squat by a water body to wash vessels etc, as they make themselves look smaller.

Over 1200 families residing on the banks of the reservoir are living in panic and

constant fear as they never know when the crocodiles would attack them. Locals say that the crocodiles had multiplied manifold over the years. However, the authorities are not in a position to dispute this or to give a correct figure about the

crocodile population. Tourists undertaking boating in the reservoir are also prone to

18

attack from the crocodiles.

The locals, who had been depending on the reservoir for drinking water, bathing

and washing, had been demanding barbed bathing ghats. The forest department has now decided to install floating bathing ghats on selected areas on experimental basis.

Crocodile palustris more commonly known as mugger or marsh crocodile, which may live up to a century, were released in the reservoir once the crocodile population in the adjacent crocodile farm, established in 1977, multiplied beyond

control. The farm was established near the reservoir as part of preserving the species. Hunting crocodiles collectively or destroying crocodile eggs are punishable

under Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

It was in 1983 that the then Forest Minister K.P. Noorudheen had released crocodiles into the dam. It was to prevent tree-felling on the other shore. The government had issued caution notice too. But the residents depended on the dam

water as wells were not very popular in the area. After the first two attacks, locals started to protest against the beastly siege. Then the number of crocodiles in the

dam started to multiply and so did the fear factor. Finally, after Rajammas death, the government decided to shift the crocodiles from the dam, after two decades of protest. The forest wardens claim the worst offenders are now caught and

rehabilitated to the crocodile park and since the strategy came into effect, there have been no incidents of crocodile attack. The crocodile park is badly maintained

and looks like an abandoned cemetery. Its cold blooded inhabitants are suitably lazy and still. But if you look closer at some of the bigger ones for some time you get an eerie feeling that this one has an attitude and may be a history. The

dilapidated state of the park suits it well.

According to the forest department, there are no more than 2-3 crocodiles in the dam now. What locals say about seeing them is mere exaggeration. There have

been no incidents of croc attacks reported in the last 4-5 years, said a forest official. But residents dont agree. There are still crocodiles in the dam implies the fear is still there. The government will wake up only when another accident happens.

WORST CROCODILE MASS ATTACK IN HISTORY

The most infamous single case of man eating took place during WW2. It allegedly

occurred on the night of 19 February 1945. A biologist named Bruce Wright, who was accompanying British soldiers observed the events. The British troops had driven 1000 Japanese infantrymen into some mangrove swamps between mainland

Burma and Ramree Island. The coast was blockaded by the Royal Navy and the infantrymens ships could not pick them up. Under fire from the British they were trapped. As darkness fell hordes of Indo-pacific crocodiles appeared and all hell was let loose. The men on the British ships were horrified by the screams of the Japanese and the thrashing and crunching of the giant reptiles. Of the 1000 men

that were trapped in the swamps only 20 were alive the next morning and were able to escape the crocodiles in the swamp. The remaining 980 had been eaten by

crocodiles. The Guinness Book of World Records has listed it both as "Worst

19

crocodile disaster in the world (disputed)" and "Most Number of Fatalities in a

Crocodile Attack".

OTHER FAMOUS CROCODILIANS OF THE WORLD

Lolong (Saltwater Crocodile from Philippines)

Lolong was caught in a Bunawan creek in the province of Agusan del Sur in the Philippines on 3 September 2011. He was captured with the joint cooperation of the

local government unit, residents, and crocodile hunters of Palawan. The giant crocodile was hunted over a period of three weeks; once he was found, it took around 100 people to bring him onto land. He became aggressive at several points

during the capture, and twice broke restraining ropes before eventually being properly secured. He was estimated to be at least 50 years old.

Lolong was suspected of eating a farmer who went missing in the town of Bunawan,

and also of consuming a 12-year-old girl whose head was discovered two years earlier. He was also the primary suspect in the disappearance of water buffaloes in the area. In the examination of the stomach contents after his capture, remnants of

water buffaloes reported missing before Lolong's capture were found, but no human remains. Experts say the vast Agusan Marsh's tourism potential needs intensive

study to avoid fatal human-crocodile encounters.

The nongovernmental organization activist Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc., with the cooperation of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, had urged the local

government of Bunawan to return Lolong to the creek of barangay Nueva Era, where the giant reptile was captured. But, in an ongoing debate, Bunawan mayor Edwin "Cox" Elorde and residents of the barangay opposed the crocodile's release,

arguing that he would threaten individuals living in the vicinity of the creek.

Lolong (died 10 February 2013) was the largest crocodile in captivity. He was an Indo-Pacific or saltwater crocodile and measured at 20 ft 3 in (6.17 m), and

weighed 2,370 lbs (1,075 kg), making him one of the largest crocodiles ever measured from snout-to-tail.

In November 2011, Australian crocodile expert Dr. Adam Britton of National

Geographic sedated and measured Lolong in his enclosure and confirmed him as the world's longest crocodile ever caught and placed in captivity.

Lolong died in captivity at around 8 pm on 10 February 2013.

20

Sweetheart (Saltwater Crocodile from Australia)

Clearly some attacks on boats are predatory in nature but could there be another factor. The most infamous boat attacking crocodile was a 17-foot (5.1 m) Indo-

Pacific crocodile known as Sweetheart. Sweetheart lived in Finiss River south of Darwin. Between 1974 and 1979 he was involved in many attacks upon boats.

Sweetheart attacked outboard motors, dinghies, and fishing boats. Amazingly he did not kill a single person. His aggression was directed at the boats. He bit through metal hulls. Overturned boats like toys, and crunched up outboard motor. It has

been suggested that the attacks by Sweetheart and other big male crocodiles on boats is brought on by the crocodiles mistaking the vessels for other crocodiles. The

sound of an outboard motor is very like the gurgling threat vocalizations males make during the breeding season. Thinking the boats to be rival male interloping on their territory the crocodiles naturally attack.

In July 1979, Sweetheart was finally caught alive by a team from the Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission, but drowned while being transported when it became tangled with a log. The crocodile's mounted body is now on permanent

display at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.

The story of Sweetheart has been taken with considerable poetic licence by Greg McLean, director of the film Wolf Creek, and made into a movie titled Rogue.