Monster on the loose: bulletproof man-eating crocodile that ate hundreds of people may still be at large (photo)
For many years, the people living near the waters of Lake Tanganyika in Burundi, East Africa, have been under the shadow of terror. In the 1970s, when decapitated remains began to be found on the lake's shore, rumors of a creepy maniac began to spread.
However, it later turned out that a giant Nile crocodile was behind these crimes, whose weight and size still remain a mystery, as it has never been caught. According to some reports, this predator may still be hiding in the waters of the region, continuing its bloody hunt, the Daily Star notes .
Residents of the surrounding areas tell legends about a huge crocodile named Gustav, whose length, according to them, can reach from 9 to 12 meters. Witnesses who had the opportunity to observe this creature claim that in the dark it emits a glow of unusual red or yellow colors.
Read also: An extremely rare lobster found off the coast of Britain, which occurs once in 100 million (photo)
Traditional healers believe that this predator, which hunts humans, is under the influence of a mysterious person who uses it to commit crimes. In Burundi and neighboring Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gustavus is surrounded by an aura of myth, although he is in fact a living creature.
According to scientists, Gustav was born in the 1950s or 1960s. Initially, it fed on fish and small animals, like other crocodiles. However, over time, having reached a huge size, it became difficult for Gustav to hunt ordinary prey, so he began to choose larger animals, and later people. It is assumed that he could have caused the deaths of hundreds of people.
Experts who had the opportunity to observe Gustav estimate his length at 6.5 meters and weight at about one ton. The exact parameters of the crocodile could be established only after its capture, but it never came to that.
Gustav is considered invulnerable because he survived several attempted murders, and, according to locals, bullet marks can still be seen on his body. Despite his numerous scars, none of the attacks could stop him from hunting people.
In 2004, the PBS channel aired a documentary called "Capturing the Killer Crocodile" that told the story of French herpetologist Patrice Faye and his team's attempts to catch Gustave. They had been trying to catch the crocodile alive for years.
Patrice Faye confirmed that in the 1990s, Gustave took the lives of dozens of people, but many of his victims remained uneaten. This indicates that the crocodile could kill not only for food, but also for entertainment. Some of his victims were drowned, while others were torn apart on the shore of the lake.
Faye attempted to catch Gustav by setting up a large cage with a live goat as bait, but the crocodile was never caught - the cage was damaged and the goat disappeared. Despite the fact that the scientists filmed the crocodile approaching the cage, the cameras eventually stopped working, and the fate of the goat remained unknown.
In the early 2000s, rumors began to circulate about the death of the old crocodile, but in 2008, scientists found it again. Since then, rumors have been spreading in East Africa that Gustav is still alive and killing, although there is no evidence of this.
Earlier we told you that Britain is being attacked by giant spiders the size of rats.
If you want to get the latest news about the war and events in Ukraine, subscribe to our Telegram channel!