Incredible facts
The fears associated with shark attacks in the modern world are much stronger than those associated with a much more dangerous predator, the crocodile. However, crocodiles actually pose a greater threat to humans than sharks.
The other day, a crocodile suddenly attacked Hendrik Coetzee, a 35-year-old South African guide who led an American expedition to the heart of Congo. Two American tourists only watched in horror as the guide was immediately killed and eaten by a predator. They made it to shore safe and sound. Hendrick's body was not found.
The stories of crocodile attacks are as scary as they are hopeless. Experts say that while it is still possible to fight a shark, it is extremely difficult, almost impossible, in
the case of a crocodile.
Sharks kill about 15 people every year, hippos kill 200 people, elephants kill 250, bees kill 1,250, while crocodiles kill 2,500 people every year. Statistics show that crocodiles are 168 times more dangerous than sharks. Mosquitoes are the worst killers; they spread malaria, which kills more than 2 million people every year.
As for crocodiles, the following is just a short list of recent incidents.
A small African plane flying from Congo to Bandundu crashed in the African country in August this year. Twenty people died in the crash, including the plane's owner and 62-year-old pilot, a Belgian. Only one person survived, who later discovered the cause of the tragic incident. As it was revealed, one of the passengers was carrying a crocodile to sell a reptile. During the flight, the crocodile escaped from the bag and the other passengers panicked. The reptile was frightened and the flight attendant ran towards the cockpit, and all the passengers who rushed after her. As a result, the plane lost its balance and began to fall. It crashed into an apartment building that was empty at the time of the accident.
In Ukraine, a crocodile attacked a three-year-old child who was at the marine animal theater in Yalta. The child was vacationing in a resort town with his parents; the family came from Brest (Belarus). The boy suffered several injuries and lost several fingers.
Lauren Failla, a 25-year-old US citizen, disappeared while staying at an Indian resort in May 2010. Two days later, her mutilated remains were found. Local authorities have confirmed that the young woman died as a result of a crocodile attack.
In July 2010, a crocodile almost killed a 36-year-old man from Australia, who, after drinking too much, climbed on a crocodile to “ride” a predator. A huge, 16-foot reptile bit off his leg and nearly tore him apart, but the man managed to survive.
A crocodile attacked an American tourist in Cancun, Mexico last September when he decided to urinate in the lagoon. The young man was hospitalized with numerous leg and neck injuries. The man also suffered a head injury after a reptile knocked him to the ground.
In Angola, at least nine children were killed by crocodiles in just a few days in spring 2009. According to the data, the children were 10-16 years old and were killed when they came to the river to collect water.