Man-eating 18ft crocodile caught after terrorising village in Uganda

Daily Mail, UK Africa Apr - 06 - 2014 , 19:32 2 minutes read

A man-eating crocodile suspected of killing at least six people has been captured off the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda.

The enormous beast, over 18ft long and weighing approximately a tonne, was caught after worried locals demanded wildlife officials hunt it down.

Its latest victim is believed to be father-of-two Bosco Nyansi, a local fisherman whose tattered clothing was discovered floating on the water.

No other trace of Mr Nyansi has been found and friends say he was mauled by the beast.

The animal, believed to be over 80-years-old, is thought to have seriously injured several other fishermen after developing a taste for human flesh.

Game wardens trapped it using a large chunk of meat on a hook following a four-day search. They trapped it in a corner before binding it up with rope.

Handful: The powerful beast measured 18ft long and weighed approximately a tonne. It is thought to be over 80-year-old

Hundreds of people from nearby Kakira village gathered to watch as it was bundled onto the back of truck. It will now be transferred to the Murchison Falls national park.

It is one of the largest crocodiles in captivity weighing only 47kg less than the current record holder - a 21ft saltwater crocodile captured in the Philippines.

Crocodiles are the third-most dangerous predator in Africa after the hippopotamus and the lion. They are thought to be responsible for 275 to 745 attacks on people a year, most of them fatal.

Crocodiles have been around for more than 200 million years. The average lifespan is about 45 years, but can be much longer.

It's not unusual for African crocodiles to kill huge prey such as young hippopotamuses, giraffes, lions and buffalo.