crocodiles | Lethal App News

South Africa Man Saved From Croc by Pregnant Wife

Posted: March 5th, 2010 | Author: jason | Filed under: crocodiles, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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(MYFOX NATIONAL) – A woman who was five months pregnant pulled her husband from the jaws of a crocodile saving his life reports the The Telegraph .

South African couple Lawrence and Kerryn Munro were taking a stroll along the White Umfolzi River on a game reserve 125 miles north of Durban. They stopped to wash their feet in the water and to rest by the shore.

In the next few moments, their quiet afternoon was interrupted by the attack of a nearly ten foot Nile crocodile.

Lawrence Munro said, “It was a matter of seconds. I grabbed hold of the rocks and started kicking the croc with my right foot. He let go and grabbed again, getting hold of both feet. I tried to get to my rifle, but I had been dragged closer to the water and couldn’t reach it. Kerryn grabbed under my arm and around my neck and started pulling. Eventually the croc let go.”

Once she knew her husband was safe, Kerryn Munro rushed for help at the Makhamisa Base Camp.

The Pretoria News of South Africa reports Lawrence Munro said, “After Kerryn left me to fetch help, I tore off my shirt and tried to bandage my feet. I haven’t seen my injuries since.” He was airlifted to a local hospital where doctors repaired tendons in his right foot.

The heroine is still recovering from the ordeal.

Jeff Gaisford, spokesman for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, said, “She’s five months pregnant and a small little thing, so she’s resting after it all. There’s no doubt Lawrence is very lucky – this crocodile would have eaten him, no doubt. A man is meat to a croc.”

Gaisford said that there had recently been quite a few crocodile attacks around the camp. As the winter season approaches for South Africa, he says that crocodiles bulk up by eating more reports The Telegraph .

Lawrence Munro is thankful that his wife was there. He told the Pretoria News , “I am just glad Kerryn was with me and was able to help me get away from the croc. If she hadn’t been there, the ending would have been bad. I am also glad the croc took my feet and not hers, as she was sitting right next to me with her feet in the water.”

Lawrence Munro plans on returning to his job as senior ranger at the camp as soon as he heals.


man escapes from crocodile by poking at its eyes

Posted: January 22nd, 2010 | Author: jason | Filed under: crocodiles, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

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KUCHING: It might have been a scene right out of an episode of the popular wildlife series, Animal Planet. Except that this incident was for real.
At the Semada River in Balai Ringin yesterday, a man battled for dear life with his bare hands when he was attacked by a six-metre long crocodile.

Mathias Winston would have become crocodile fodder – had it not been for his quick-thinking to use his thumbs to jab at the man-eater’s eyes!

The 37-year-old lorry driver was bathing at the river about 6.30pm when the crocodile suddenly emerged from the water and attacked him viciously, snapping its jaws shut on his left leg and right hand.

Winston thought he was a goner when the beast was trying to drag him into the depths of the river in the terrifying 10 minutes which ensued.

Luckily, his screams for help attracted the attention of his wife who was cooking at their Kampung Semada Belatok home, not far from the river.
Mira Dehim, also 37, rushed to her husband’s aid and grabbed his hand to pull him to safety, in the process, almost falling into the river as the reptile’s jaws held Winston in a vice-grip.

“Without hesitation, I grabbed my husband’s hand to pull him to safety…but I almost fell into the river as the crocodile was tugging at him.

“It was only when my husband used his thumbs to jab at the crocodile’s eyes, did the reptile let go of his leg and hand and disappear into the river,” she told Bernama today, when met at the Sarawak Hospital where Winston was warded.


Crocs Devour African Poachers

Posted: January 21st, 2010 | Author: jason | Filed under: crocodiles, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

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You’d really think they’d stop fishing there. I would.

Harare, Jan 18 – Eight fish poachers have been killed by crocodiles in a major dam in Zimbabwe in the last two weeks, media reports said Sunday.

A ninth victim was severely injured when he was attacked by a crocodile on Lake Chivero outside the capital Harare Saturday, the state-controlled Sunday Mail reported, quoting national park authority spokeswoman Caroline Washaya-Moyo.

The bodies of only two of the eight victims have been found, she said. Wildlife experts say crocodiles seize their prey and store them in underwater hollows, returning to consume them after several days.

Lake Chivero is Harare’s largest water reservoir.

‘These people included men and women and all of them were poachers,’ Washaya-Moyo said. Fellow poachers have not been deterred as they keep returning to the same site.

The poachers wade waist-deep into the water and angle for fish with bamboo rods. A section of the lake controlled by the national park authorities is a favourite spot for poachers from a nearby squatter camp who hawk fish to passing motorists on a nearby main road.

Washaya-Moyo said wildlife authorities were trying to minimise crocodile attacks, but did not give details.

Of all Africa’s species of large mammals and reptiles, hippopotami are regarded as being responsible for the most human deaths, followed by crocodiles.


Croc Attack in India

Posted: April 30th, 2009 | Author: jason | Filed under: crocodiles, wildlife | Tags: , | No Comments »

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Crocodile kills 35-year-old

Statesman News Service 
KENDRAPARA, April 30: In the latest outbreak of man-animal conflict, preying estuarine crocodiles have killed a 35-year-old woman and attacked at least four people in and around the Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary. 
It’s pertinent to note here that two adult crocodiles were killed in retaliatory attack by the locals since past two months. 
An adult crocodile pounced on 35-year-old Mrs Rangalata Pati near a creek in Dangmal village killing her instantly. 
Four people including a woman were wounded in Iswarpur, Dangmal and Talchua villages under Rajnagar tehsil as crocodiles straying into village water bodies pounced on them. The injured who sustained multiple wounds are stated to be out of danger, according to Rajnagar block headquarters hospital sources. 
There are official reports of saltwater crocodiles from the Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary straying into the Petashala and Kharasrota rivers. 
With the breeding season of crocodiles fast approaching, they have turned restive and perturbed over human interference into their habitat. 
The residents of Gobardhanpur, Naranpur, Arakhadiha, Rajeswarinagar, Chandibaunsamula, Padmanavapur, Iswarpur, Sanagoji, Okilapala and a dozen other seaside villages are thoroughly exposed to possible attack by these crocodiles and accordingly the local sarpanchs and GP representatives have been instructed to alert the villagers, forest department sources said.


User Review Response – Crocs vs Gators

Posted: April 25th, 2009 | Author: jason | Filed under: LETHAL, alligators, app store response, crocodiles, mosquitoes, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

 

Since the App Store gives developers no ability to respond to user reviews, we’re going to do it here, occasionally. Mostly for our own sanity, since sometimes the things people say need to be debated a little!

userreview

 

 

 

Our Response:

Risk of either mosquito and crocodile attacks ARE low in the everglades. In the case of the mosquito, the LETHAL app is warning you about the possibility of an attack that would pose danger to a person. LETHAL is concerned more with deadly diseases, not just general itchiness. Disease bearing mosquitoes are actually rare in Florida, while not so rare in other parts of the world.

I think the user confused alligators and crocodiles. There are many alligators in the Everglades, and the risk of a gator attack is indeed heightened. However,  there is also a very small population of crocodiles in the Everglades. In fact, it’s the only place in the world where both crocs and gators co-exist.

But there is absolutely no documented record of an attack on a human by a crocodile there. (Or anywhere in the United States, for that matter.) American Crocs actually have a reputation of being less aggressive than crocs elsewhere in the world (though there have been attacks in Central and South America, where they are more prevalent.)

So for both mosquito and croc, putting the level of attack risk at “Low” is correct.

Thanks for saying we’re fun, but do understand that we strive to be educational too! We really really do!


Australian Man Attacked By Croc

Posted: April 22nd, 2009 | Author: jason | Filed under: crocodiles, wildlife | Tags: , , , | No Comments »

Kununurra man ‘lucky’ to survive croc attack

A crocodile attack survivor who needed 40 stitches in his left arm and chest says he is lucky to be alive. 
   
Mark Northover, 52, was pounced on by the reptile while he was swimming with friends — including three children under six — in Lake Argyle, about 70km south of Kununurra, last Saturday. 
   
He was attacked within minutes of jumping out of his friend’s boat at a popular swimming spot. 
   
“Bang, this thing hit me and tossed me around,” Mr Northover, of Kununurra, said. 
   
He did not see the crocodile coming and at first thought he had been hit by a boat because of the “the power of the push”. But as he felt pain like “big sharp needles”, he realised it was a crocodile.
   
The reptile clawed at his chest and chomped into his upper left arm. But rather than dragging him under, it released him and he struggled to the surface. 
   
Winded and bloodied, Mr Northover warned his friends and the children, who scrambled back on to the boat. He struggled to shore, fearing he would be grabbed again. 
   
Mr Northover said the teeth marks were so deep that when his doctor stuck her finger in the wound, it almost reached her knuckle. 
   
“She said I was lucky it didn’t sever any arteries,” he said. 
   
“I’m lucky to be alive, I honestly am. I’d hate to think what would have happened if it had grabbed one of the kids.” 
   
Mr Northover believes he was the victim of a rare attack by a freshwater crocodile. The 1000sqkm Lake Argyle is home to about 25,000 freshwater crocodiles. 
   
Wildlife officers searching the area this week spotted several big freshwater crocodiles in the water. 
   
The Department of Environment and Conservation said it was possible there were also some saltwater crocodiles in the lake. 
   
The department said attacks by freshwater crocodiles were not common but the creatures could inflict serious injuries. 
   
Mr Northover said he planned to stay safely aboard the boat on any future trips.


Boy Attacked by Croc in Australia

Posted: April 13th, 2009 | Author: jason | Filed under: crocodiles, wildlife | Tags: , , , | No Comments »

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Boy survives croc attack in Northern Territory

Northern Territory News

April 14, 2009 12:00am

A YOUNG Northern Territory boy has been attacked by a crocodile while fishing.

He is the third person to be attacked by crocodiles in the Territory in less than a month. But unlike the tragic stories of the two other recent victims, somehow this youngster lived to tell the tale. 

The nine-year-old boy was attacked near the edge of the Adelaide River while fishing with several other people on Easter Sunday morning. 

He was treated at the nearby Adelaide River medical clinic and escaped with minor injuries, only needing stitches to a puncture wound in his hand. 

The attack happened not far from where a trap was set four weeks ago to catch a large croc, reported to be longer than 5m, spotted near a fishing spot on the Adelaide River. 

That large saltie has not been caught. 

The boy is believed to be a resident of the Aboriginal community at Adelaide River, on the western side of the Stuart Highway that runs through the town. The attack happened about 10.30am on Sunday at the community, police said. 

It is not known whether the boy was attacked by a saltwater or freshwater croc, nor how big the animal was. 

But freshies rarely attack without provocation, increasing the chances it was a deadly saltie. 

Police said the matter was now in the hands of Parks and Wildlife. 

Croc catcher Tom Nichols will set a trap in the area today to try and capture the animal. 


Croc Attack Confirmed

Posted: April 11th, 2009 | Author: jason | Filed under: crocodiles, wildlife | Tags: , , , | No Comments »

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More about the Daly River Croc Attack. Salt Water Crocs are the largest reptiles in the world. I wouldn’t swim anywhere near their habitat.

Croc attack in Australia confirmed

 

 

Associated Press – April 11, 2009 3:03 AM ET

DARWIN, Australia (AP) – Police say a nighttime swim for a 20-year-old northern Australian man turned deadly early Friday.

A local police superintendent says the man was killed by a 14-ft. crocodile about 2 a.m. when he and his brother, who had been drinking with the victim’s wife on the bank, decided to swim across a river.

Wildlife officials have found the man’s remains.

The superintendent says the trio were local residents and should have know large saltwater crocodiles live in river.

Police destroyed a 14-ft. crocodile believed to be responsible for the attack.

Saltwater crocodiles, the world’s largest reptile at up to 23 feet long, are increasingly common in Australia’s tropical north. Hunting them was banned in 1971.

Four people have died in crocodile attacks in Australia since last September.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Daly Croc Victim Remains Found

Posted: April 10th, 2009 | Author: jason | Filed under: crocodiles, wildlife | Tags: , , | No Comments »

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A sad ending to a tragic story.

Remains of croc attack victim found

Northern Territory police have found the remains of the man who was attacked and killed by a crocodile yesterday near the Daly River community, 150 kilometres south of Darwin.

Early yesterday morning the 20-year-old man and a friend had been drinking, when they tried to swim across the crocodile-infested waterway near the Daly River community.

A crocodile was seen near the pair when the man disappeared.

Police set up an exclusion zone on the river as part of their search to find him.

This morning that search came to an end when rangers found his remains 80 metres downstream.

A 4.3-metre crocodile is believed to have killed the man and has been destroyed.

Duty Superintendent Jamie Chalker says the missing man was one of two who swam across the river to go and get some alcohol.

“It’s apparent that family members have seen the head of a crocodile making its way towards the man who’s now missing, plus the other person he was crossing the river with,” he said.

“As we now know, one made it and one didn’t.”

Daly River policeman Dean Lynch says Parks and Wildlife shot one crocodile overnight, but he could not yet confirm whether there is any sign that it is the croc responsible for the attack.

“The Daly is prolific with large crocodiles,” he said.

“I don’t have the information about how many attacks there have been but there has been a few over the years. The Daly is well known for large crocodiles.”

The river has now reopened to the public, but police are reminding people to be extremely cautious when choosing where to swim in the Top End.


More on the Daly Croc Attack

Posted: April 10th, 2009 | Author: jason | Filed under: crocodiles, wildlife | Tags: | No Comments »

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An excellent write-up about the Daly situation, including videos and pictures.  The writer is a biologist who studies crocs for a living!

Easter weekend in the Territory is always the busiest for recreational fishing and camping, and just downstream from the attack we have seen photos of people wading in the shallows and drinking lots of beer. They had refused to leave the water when asked by police and rangers as they didn’t believe they were in any danger.