'Enormous' crocodile rumoured to have ‘eaten 300 people’ in East Africa is on the loose

A giant crocodile, which is rumoured to have killed 300 people in East Africa, is thought to be on the loose. According to Ladbible, the crocodile named Gustave is an infamous man-eater who has reportedly been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of locals in the country of Burundi. He is believed to weigh more than a ton and is around six metres long. Even professional hunters are scared of him as every time he has been spotted, a number of deaths were reported in the area.  

According to reports, Gustave has been studied for years, with some suggesting he could be about 100 years old, while others have said it's more likely to be around 60 due to his dental arch being intact. It is also believed that the killer crocodile has been shot three times and has scars as a result of hunters trying to kill it. He was given his Gallic name by French hunter Patrice Faye, who has lived in Burundi for years and has attempted to capture the crocodile to study for science.

Three times as big as other crocodiles 

Previously, Faye told BBC that he built a long trap that had to be transported by 40 men and even spent the whole night in the river with cameras. However, it was a “total failure”. Faye said that the crocodile was parading outside the cage, and he was unable to catch it. While discussing the killer croc’s size, the French hunter added that Gustave is “enormous” and is three times as big as the other crocodiles in Burundi. 

Faye said that the croc is not very fast and cannot feed on what other crocodiles in Burundi eat - fish and small mammals. The hunter said that Gustave attacks slow prey which is easy to capture. In 2014, a documentary called Capturing the Killer Croc was also released which documented Faye’s fruitless attempts to seize Gustave. 

The French hunter said that the first attempt featured a giant cage, which was about 9 metres long. Baits were placed in it, but Gustave was wise to the trap or he wasn't around. Nothing was attracted to it, not even any other creatures. The scientists then put in three giant traps on river banks, only managing to catch smaller crocodiles in their traps. 

In another attempt, they put a live goat in a cage to try to lure Gustave to it, but the camera broke in a storm. The next morning the cage was found with no goat in it. They never found out what actually happened. Faye concluded that in the three months he was there, about 17 people were eaten by Gustave. 

(Image: Unsplash)