A gigantic crocodile rumoured to have eaten 300 people near the Nile River is presumed to remain free after traps failed.
Gustave, the fabled man-eater, is regarded as one of Africa’s largest living reptiles and has successfully escaped all capture attempts over the years.
Capturing the Killer Croc, a 2004 TV documentary, demonstrated how intelligent the beast is by showing him avoiding traps set up by crocodile hunters.
Patrice Faye, a herpetologist, learned from local inhabitants near Lake Tanganyika that Gustave can endure at least three bullet wounds.
“He can eat 10, 15 or 20 people along the bank,” he added.
“One year, I followed the path he took on one of his forays and 17 people had been eaten between Kanyosha and Minago, and Kabezi and Magara.”
According to the footage he collected through close inspection, the scaly creature is around 18ft to 21ft long and weighs more than a tonne.
“He has a very peculiar head, the two bony crest he has on either of his head.”
Patrice recruited the support of wildlife ecologist Dr Alison Leslie and other villagers in their quest for Gustave in order to collect data and place a tracker on the crocodile.
They looked for six days on foot, in an SUV, and by boat – all in vain.
Patrice and Alison happened to see Gustave relaxing by the river while riding in a hot air balloon.
“You have the impression that you’ve stumbled across something dead that’s been sculpted in the ground,” Dr Alison stated as they looked through binoculars from the opposite side of the river.
“He is huge! I thought it was the big chunk of the sandback but I realise that is all crocodile. He is fat!”
The team set out traps to catch Gustave, but they only caught smaller younger crocodiles.
The hunters made one more attempt, setting up a massive cage with a real goat inside, trying to fool the reptile.
After a gruelling 48-hour period that included a stormy night, they discovered the goat had gone missing and the cage had been dragged into the ocean.
Patrice and Dr. Alison had no choice but to concede defeat.
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