Man-eating croc to be shot

2005-03-02 14:02

Johannesburg - Conservation authorities at the Greater St Lucia Wetland park have decided to shoot a huge old crocodile that attacked and killed a fisherman this week, KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife said on Wednesday.

"There has been a history of aggression shown by this specific crocodile, it was decided to put it down," said Maureen Zimu, spokesperson for KZN Wildlife.

She said authorities were pretty certain it was the culprit in the attack on 75-year-old Neville Elder on Monday night.

Elder never returned from an overnight fishing trip to the estuary.

Drag marks leading to the water, and his equipment packed up neatly on the bank above, were all that was left on Tuesday morning.

A few hours later, divers found Elder's remains floating in the water.

Local resident Petrus Viviers said he was surprised that Elder had been attacked.

"He was a local resident. We all knew about the increase of crocodile activity in the area. Somehow during the night he must have got too close to the water," said Viviers, who also runs the Greater St Lucia Park website.

Residents likely to object

He said residents were likely to object to the plans to shoot the killer crocodile.

"It is going to be a very controversial issue. There are more than 15 adult crocs in that area. This crocodile is paying the price for KZN Wildlife's bad decisions."

He, and other residents, want KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife to re-open the mouth of the river, so that there is more water circulation in the area. This would make it less attractive to crocodiles and safer for fishermen, Viviers argues.

Zimu said clearing the sand that was blocking the mouth would just cause more problems, as the water level in the estuary was lower than sea level at the moment.

With the "father of all crocodiles" eliminated, and enough warning signs up on the banks, the stretch of land could still be utilised by fishermen and crocodiles without any more incidents, Zimu said.

"It is unusual for a crocodile to come out of the water to attack a human being," she said.

- SAPA