Lake Tanganyika’s Mystery : A Man-Eating Crocodile | GEDEON DOC

In the heart of Africa, in the region of the Great Lakes, the waters are ruled by a terrifying creature, the largest Nile crocodile ever observed in the wild. Over the past ten years, nearly 300 deaths have been attributed to this man-eater. To stop the killing, two men and a woman will attempt the unthinkable to capture this dangerous giant alive. Burundi, a tiny state in East Africa, between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Here stretches the vast plain of Rwuzizi, a national park since 1990. The Rwuzizi River courses through the park, carrying muddy waters from the mountains of the Congo to the deep blue basin of Lake Tanganyika. The great delta between the two is the perfect habitat for crocodiles. And it's irresistible terrain for those who hunt them. You're crazy fishing here. Don't you know it's full of crocodiles? Yes, I know it's full of crocodiles. If they attack, you won't even have time to see them coming. It's suicidal. You're going to be eaten alive. Patrice Fay is a herpetologist who has lived in Burundi for 20 years. He is at home here. But he knows a killer crocodile is stalking the delta. Protecting people from crocodiles, and crocodiles from people, has become an urgent mission for Patrice. During his frequent patrols, he often finds illegal traps. The reserve is full of them. The crocodiles are killed for their skins, despite the fact that they are protected by international law. Look at that. He's wounded. He's been there for several days. This little crocodile will likely survive, despite its wounds. As for the poachers, hunting in these waters is not only illegal, it can be deadly. Once fully grown, this crocodile will join the ranks of great predators who patrol these waters. Something on the surface of the water catches the attention of Patrice. A large antelope, a citatunga, has been killed. The powerful jaws of a crocodile tow the 500-pound victim into the river. The crocodile is large, but it is not the monster that has been terrorizing local villages. News of a possible crocodile attack brings Patrice to the shores of Lake Tanganyika. The body is largely intact, and, in the absence of witnesses, nothing proves to Patrice that the guilty party is the crocodile everyone is talking about. But with a known man-eater stalking these waters, news of any death is bound to increase the anxiety of the villagers. Patrice knows it's just a matter of time before the crocodile claims another victim. And the people look to him for help. After two years of investigation, Patrice has come to the startling realization that a single animal is responsible for nearly every attack. A man-eater, a monster. He named the creature Gustave. It is a name which now strikes fear in the hearts of people across Burundi. The testimony of a nearly disemboweled fisherman is distressingly common. Many in the village have lost loved ones, and Patrice is determined to help them. We're going to catch this crocodile now. We're going to trap him. It'll be difficult, but we're going to get him. Bujumbura is the capital of Burundi, a country in turmoil for the past ten years. In 1993, a bloody civil war erupted between the opposing communities of Hutus and Tutsis, costing the lives of 200,000 people in a period of only a few months. Today, harmony is precarious, the peace is fragile. In this tense political climate, Patrice has a meeting with the Minister of the Environment. His goal is to obtain permission to capture the giant crocodile. He's a danger for the entire coast, from Bujumbura right to Minago. Patrice insists on the fact that the animal is exceptional and worthy of study. Even if he's a man-eater, he mustn't be killed. Everything must be done to capture him alive. The Minister gives his approval, but tells Patrice that he has only two months to act. After that, a change of government risks plunging the entire country into civil war. Sixty days is all Patrice will have. He will have to move quickly. To capture Gustave, Patrice designs a trap. It must be large enough and strong enough to hold the giant. Nearly 30 feet in length and weighing more than a ton, it will be a cage like no other. For the safety of the crocodile and anyone involved in the capture, the design must be considered carefully. Patrice first works out his plans with a model to optimize the armament system he has conceived. The success of the project rests entirely upon its reliability. Patrice and his men start building the cage. Everything has been designed so as not to hurt the animal. The bolt shafts turn outward and any sharp angles are carefully ground down. 72 pieces make up this gigantic puzzle and it needs to be assembled with the greatest care. Patrice's bold vision begins to take shape. But will the cage withstand the assaults of an enraged crocodile that weighs more than a ton? Patrice has long been aware of the challenge of keeping the crocodile alive once it is captured. He needs the help of an expert. Marco Gansuana was immediately enthusiastic about the project. This 28-year-old scientist lives in Tunisia where he runs a large farm with over 400 Nile crocodiles. But an animal the size of Gustave will push Marco's experience to the limit. Patrice takes Marco to Gustave's territory, Roussizi National Park. After 10 years of war and neglect the park is desperately in need of attention and protection. In the 1950s, buffalo, elephants and warthogs inhabited the plain. But they were progressively exterminated by man. The only survivor among the large mammals has been the hippopotamus and they share the river in an uneasy coexistence with the Nile crocodiles. You see, this is one of the places where the crocodile likes to come because there are banks of white sands here and he can lay half immersed. But it's been two months since we last saw him. We know that he's somewhere in the north because we've had reports of accidents. He goes off like that quite regularly. He hunts and then he comes back and then he's pretty calm. The dune islands situated at the mouth of the Roussizi offer an ideal resting place for Nile crocodiles. Seeing them in such numbers and in excellent health it appears to Mark that they have not suffered too much from damage to their environment. Crocodiles have managed to survive on this planet for over 200 million years. Large crocs like this one measure over 10 feet. According to Patrice, Gustave could be twice as big. In Burundi, everyone is talking about Gustave. But the people who have actually seen him are rare. Between myth and reality, some believe he measures 40 feet. Some say he's red, others say yellow With tufts of grass growing out of his head, Gustave is no longer just an animal. He is a legend, a demon. A demon Patrice has seen up close only once. When was this video made? I think it was in 99, 98, 99. There, there's the beast. It is hard to determine the exact size of the crocodile from these images. But Patrice believes he is 18 to 21 feet long and weighs more than a ton. The size is staggering. This is prehistoric, isn't it? I've never seen anything like this. There you see, you have the impression that you've stumbled across something dead that's been sculpted in the ground. Look at that. He has a very peculiar head. You see the two bony crests he has on either side of his head? What I regret is not having seen his teeth because we were too close. That's the mistake we made. We passed in front and he dove away. Isn't that great? Bujumbura lies on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, the second largest lake in Africa. Gustave sometimes makes incursions into the lake. The crocodile is bold and even hunts along the city's busiest beaches. The threat of Gustave now hangs over the capital itself. Patrice has invited South African scientist Dr. Alison Leslie to join the team. A fellow member of the crocodile specialist group, along with Mark, Alison has rare expertise in the capture of Nile crocodiles. She has successfully trapped over 400 of these animals. It is experience that will prove essential. This is a cage. It is huge. He told me that the crocodile is about this big. You saw already, it's big like this. I've never seen a cage this size. Probably because I've probably never seen a crocodile this size. Ah, okay. Now that's perfect. That's good because he's such a huge animal from what I hear that to actually pull him out backwards is going to be too big a job. This is great. This will really work. It will make life a lot easier. Good. Okay. Good, good, good. That was good. For ten years, most scientists have avoided war-torn Burundi. But Alison has not hesitated to come here. The chance to study a crocodile like Gustave is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But Gustave has not been seen for nearly two months. And before they can catch him, they must find him. And despite his great size, in the vast expanse of the Roussizi delta, it's a daunting challenge. Ladislas, a park ranger, takes her on a hunt in search of Gustave's tracks. The Roussizi is a powerful river with a strong current, even near the lake. Crocodiles typically prefer slow-moving water. And Alison knows this will affect the placement of the cage. They will need to locate a protected bank, where crocodiles prefer to hunt. The fisherman thinks he's safe. But actually, there are a lot more crocodiles in this area. Any one of them could grab him. Two fishermen? Yes. Oh, okay. The one's next to him on his right. He's about one and a half meters from the water's edge. You know how dangerous that is? Any crocodile two meters and bigger could get him. Actually, he's catching fish, too. For days, Alison and her guide explore miles of river, going through the delta with a fine-toothed comb in search of Gustave. Each day that goes by is a day lost. And the fear that Gustave will claim another victim weighs heavily on the team. In the vast expanse of the delta, their quest is as oversized as the animal they seek. The construction of the enclosure that will hold the crocodile after its capture started three weeks ago. Twenty workers have been mobilized, all of them from Gatumba, a village adjoining the reserve. The enclosure is 90 feet long and 45 feet wide. Having seen the video of Gustave, Marc believes the space is too small. But if they work quickly, they may be able to enlarge the enclosure in time. Marc knows how to care for captive crocodiles, but he has never attempted to acclimatize a wild animal the size of Gustave. An Australian study has shown that more than half of the crocodiles over 15 feet die in less than a week of their capture as a result of stress. Marc makes sure the basin is sufficiently deep for a crocodile this size. He also reminds Patrice of the need to create a shaded area, indispensable to the crocodile for regulating its temperature. The water pumped from underground must be similar to that of the Roussizi. While the men redouble their efforts, the search continues for Gustave, still stalking the dark waters of the Roussizi. For six long days, the search by canoe, 4x4 and on foot has yielded nothing. Now, a hot air balloon is mobilized to help locate Gustave in this difficult terrain. The aerial search determines a promising area for closer inspection on foot. I thought it was the big chunk of the sand bank. Now I realize it's actually that. He's all crocodile. He's fat. He's plain fat. Over the next few days, Alison tries to get closer to Gustave, but he is surprisingly wary. A blind will allow her a close-up view for the first time. Gustave's deep fear of humans soon makes sense. A row of scars bear witness to assault by machine gun fire. His right shoulder blade was also deeply wounded, perhaps by the spear of a would-be poacher. Gustave seems invincible, a formidable descendant of the great reptiles from the age of the dinosaurs. Generations of crocodiles share Gustave's territory. Their size varies, from 5 to 12 feet at most. The appearance of the monster reveals his enormous size. Gustave is easily more than 18 feet long, the biggest Nile crocodile ever seen. Confronted with such a phenomenon, an adult crocodile exposes her throat as a sign of submission. Hippos also fear Gustave, and they are on alert, guarding a young calf that was born this year. Normally, crocodiles don't threaten hippos, not even babies. But two months ago, a park ranger saw Gustave kill and devour an adult hippopotamus. There will be no combat today. There are too many hippos. They stand in a line to defend the baby and to hold Gustave in check. In face of the threat, the scientists decide to combine the attempt to capture Gustave with a crocodile safety program aimed at preventing attacks. The students of Gatumba are an eager audience. Well, it's awesome. Who knows Gustave? What's the matter, Gustave? Don't like Gustave? I have seen Gustave, and he is big. We haven't caught Gustave yet. We're still trying. But we think he's at least six meters. It's big, eh? Yeah. A student asks Mark if the crocodile uses the power of its legs to leap out of the water to attack its prey. No, it uses its tail to attack its prey. They have a tail, you see. They have a very big, powerful tail, and thanks to it, they can swim very fast in water and can catch their prey on the banks of the river by using its propulsion, which is why you have to be very careful. Seventy kilometers an hour, but to understand that, think of a taxi driving down the road through Gatumba. Fast, flat out. That's how fast a crocodile will actually strike. When the cage is finally complete, the people of Gatumba race to carry it in triumph. The assembled cage weighs a ton. It can only be moved by hand. It is grueling work. They need to carry the cage a distance of four miles to take it from their village to the delta. Scouting ahead, Alison and Ladi search for the exact place to set the cage. Mark, it's Alison. I think I've found the absolute perfect spot for this trip. OK, where is it? Let's see, we're about one kilometer up from the mouth of the lake, on the left-hand bank. So, how long do you think it's going to take you? About two hours. Yeah, two hours, that's fine. What we'll do is we'll wait right here and we'll keep an eye out for you. While the men work with the cage, Alison continues to observe Gustave. In order to achieve such enormous size, Alison estimates Gustave must be nearly 100 years old. But when he opens his mouth, she is surprised to see a complete set of teeth. A 100-year-old crocodile should be nearly toothless. Amazingly, Gustave is probably no older than 60, and likely still growing. Is that working? One, two, three and they bring it. The men have been carrying the cage for hours. They are exhausted. The last 100 yards seems endless. He says there's a crocodile very nearby. Yeah, it's just over there, just across the river. Gustave retreats across the river, reassuring the team that this is a prime location for the placement of the trap. This is the risky part. This is where it's got to happen quick and smooth. And hopefully the crocodile stays blasting and should be in this time. Well, it's in and it's great. Now we just need to get everyone back because it's been a little noisy. But that's good. We've got enough time. And we just need everyone to settle down a little bit and we'll do the next step. But the cage is not yet ready when night begins to fall. The river comes to life. It is the time of day hippos prefer to feed. And the time crocodiles prefer to hunt. The team must still bait the trap. Mark will pour cow blood on the front of the cage. Scientists know crocodiles have an exceptional sense of smell that enables them to detect prey as far as four miles away. The operation is perilous. Now Alison places a cow's head inside the cage. She does not linger. If a crocodile were to rush into the cage now, she'd have no chance to escape. With the bait in place, the trap is finally set. Now it's up to Gustave to decide what happens next. If Gustave falls for the trap, Alison will have to sedate him with an injection of flaxedil, a substance made from curare, a poison that paralyzes without putting the victim to sleep. Administered correctly, the scientists can then handle the animal without danger. But determining the correct dose is difficult. No one has ever sedated a crocodile this large. A camera has been hidden inside the cage. Its infrared light, invisible to animals, secretly illuminates the night. A few yards from the door, a white spot, the eye of a crocodile. Despite his curiosity, he doesn't enter the cage. Not tonight. A week has passed since the cage was put in place. Despite all the team's efforts, the killer croc continues to haunt the Rusizi. One morning, Alison is surprised to discover the carcass of a cow on a small island. For prey this size, the killer could only be Gustave. Alison waits to see how Gustave and the other crocodiles react to the cow. But surprisingly, it is the hippos, strict herbivores, that are the first to investigate the carcass. Soon the entire family leaves the water. They gently lick the hide. Their gestures are slow and almost respectful, affectionate, as if the cow were one of their own. They then all lie down, encircling the carcass as if in a solemn wake. This strange behavior has been likened by scientists to a funeral rite. Until now, no camera has ever been able to capture it. Two hours later, the hippos abandon the dead cow and return to the water. Their vigil is over. No crocodile comes to devour the cow, proving to Alison the crocs are not desperate for food. In fact, a crocodile can go several months without eating, and a croc the size of Gustave can afford to select his prey carefully. In Getumba, everyone knows why Gustave will not enter the cage. The village medicine man says that the crocodile is under the spell of an evil person. The spell must be broken. Though it's not quite scientific, Petries believes it's worth a try. I think that if we start it, we have to go all the way. Then we'll see. But, well, you never know in the end. It's difficult to say. Maybe there are things that they know that we don't know. In Getumba, terrible news awaits Petries. The villages are in shock. Despite the cage and the witch doctor, a crocodile has claimed another victim. But were there any witnesses? Did they see it? Yes, there were fishermen. And they saw the big crocodile? Yes, yes. So it's still him. It was Gustave. And when you found the body, was it whole? Yes, it was whole. He drowned him. He didn't eat him. With only three weeks left for the scientists, Gustave remains at large. Despite all efforts to catch him, he continues to kill. The team's plan isn't working and time is running out. I am sure the best way to catch Gustave is a cage. It's the best. But Petries, not one crocodile went to that cage. Not one. Not even a little one. You know, we've got to... There must be some way to get hold of this chap, to catch this animal. And he's an exceptional creature, let's face it, right? So I think we need to go back to the drawing boards and actually try to come up with something new, some sort of new technology of some sort that we can use to catch Gustave with. For several days now, the crocodile has been seen on a high inaccessible bank almost a mile from the cage. Alison suggests installing another trap, perhaps better suited to this kind of terrain. The scientists want to increase their chances of capture without abandoning the cage. They decide to have three pitman traps, giant snares built in a factory in Bujumbura. They will be the largest pitmans in the world, standing 16 feet tall and weighing nearly half a ton. The bait will be linked to the trigger. The trap is under tremendous tension. When released, it will ensnare the crocodile in a fraction of a second. It takes the scientists and their men two days to set up the three pitman traps on strategic banks. It is exhausting work. Nothing escapes the watchful eye of Gustave. The three traps are baited, but their proximity to the water makes the operation dangerous. Marc knows there are crocodiles everywhere. They have to be careful. The scientists have only two more weeks. Then they will have to leave Burundi. They now have a cage and three pitmen, a total of four traps, which should quadruple their chances of capturing the crocodile. 48 hours later, Patrice and Marc notice that one of the pitman traps has been sprung. The pitman has lived up to its reputation, but this is only a tiny version of the killer they seek. Inexperienced crocodiles are often betrayed by their gluttonous appetites. Sometimes, the same young croc will be caught two or three times in the same day. Before releasing him, Marc will gather data including weight and sex. And there you don't find any obstacle. Normally you'd find the penis, which is there and relatively hard, but there, there's nothing. It's a female. Imagine. What if it had been Gustave? We know the pitman works, but... We'll need some more people. How much did this one weigh? Less than 200 pounds, right? Maybe 100, 120 pounds. Can you imagine if it were Gustave? Even if the pitman traps seem to be working, the team doesn't give up on the cage. Since Gustave doesn't seem to be interested in simple slabs of meat, the scientists decide to install live bait for the first time. They're hoping that the chicken will move, make noise and attract Gustave. Nights go by without any results. The team has only one week left. They make the decision to offer Gustave even more interesting prey. They reluctantly place a live goat in the cage. The crocodile is wary. He keeps his distance and disappears once again. Night after night, it's the same hope and the same disappointment. The infrared images, viewed several times by the scientists, are now making them uncertain. There's something going on. I don't know what, but there's something. Gustave is smarter than we think. Yeah, he could surprise us. Maybe there's some kind of communication between crocodiles. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but he's more clever than we think. Morning brings disaster. Oh, Patrice, look at this. I can't believe what's actually happened after all our effort. The one end has just fallen into the water. Did the rising waters help the monster to escape his hunters? Did the trap fail just as Gustave entered the cage? Whatever the circumstances, the rain destroyed the infrared camera and the goat has disappeared. The scientists will never know precisely what happened that night. Time has run out. The scientists must leave the country in three days. The army can no longer ensure their safety. They don't have the time to fix the cage and bait it again. For them, the adventure is over. It's a catastrophe because I really believed in it. And I wasn't the only one. Everyone believed in this cage. Nature against man and once again nature has proven to be stronger. Since the team abandoned their quest, there have been no reported sightings of Gustave. Was he injured? Has he been killed by poachers or shot by the army? Six months after his disappearance, there have been no crocodile attacks on humans. But the fate of the killer croc remains unknown.