PBS had a show on a couple of days ago about a hunt for a monster crocodile that had developed bad table manners. As is often the case in Africa, they had no idea how many people it had actual eaten, just the ones that were reported. So far, so good. And it was a truly monstrous beast. OK. Then came the part that pissed me off.
The game ranger in charge in the area insisted that the croc not be killed, it HAD to be captured alive and unhurt. No matter how many people died while doing so. And they did.
Other experts were called in, one cage trap and several big spring snares were fabricated, the beast was spotted, and the traps were set. And this was a BIG sucker. It was hard for me to make a guess with nothing of known measure by it to compare, but at one time they had video of it by several 8 and 12 footers, and they looked like toys in comparison, their best guess being in excess of 18 feet. From what I've read, that would make it about 10 feet in girth, and the teeth looked as long as my fingers.
Now, I understand the desire to catch something this big, but while they were making all their attempts to-without injuring it- catch the thing, it kept killing people. And yes, they were very sorry about them, but capturing the lizard was far more important. Which is why I freakin' HATE enviro-weenies. You idiots, THE DAMN THING IS EATING PEOPLE! Just like happens every day in Africa & Asia, but YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED THIS ONE! Several times they were within about 150 yards, and once the ranger got video of the thing from no more than 20 yards, first from the rear and then moving up the side until it spooked. According to Capstick, directly from the rear & above is the ideal angle to kill a big croc, so there was at least one ideal opportunity, and several others, and they didn't take them. And people kept dieing.
At the end, they ran out of the time the government had given them, and later said that there had been no sightings for a while and no more people had been taken. It might have moved, but they feared most likely a poacher or the army had shot it. I damn well hope so. In this line of thought, some local citazen who got tired of neighbors being eaten and whacked the thing would be classed as a 'poacher'; personally I'd decorate him.
I don't give a damn how rare it is to see one that size, and the Nile crocodile is not endangered. When one is eating the locals, you kill it. Capstick wrote several times of the fatalistic attitude of bush Africans toward crocs, but this was a game ranger and the government. That they considered it more important to trap the beast than stop it killing the locals it amazing.
And stupid. Don't forget stupid.
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