I doubt any accurate statistics exist, but having lived alongside the crocodile-infested Luangwa River for most of my adult life, I have little doubt that crocodiles are responsible for more human deaths than any other wild creature in this big game country. Almost all attacks take place during our summer when the rivers are swollen by heavy rains. Most victims are rural village children, who cannot resist cavorting in the shallows along the banks.
On being posed with the question of what to do in the event of an attack, an old adage immediately springs to mind – ‘prevention is better than cure’ – avoid swimming in crocodile-infested waters!
A friend of mine was once attacked by a 7ft crocodile. Having had his boat upturned by an irate hippo midstream of the Zambezi River, he swam towards the shore. Just 5 metres from the safety of the bank, a crocodile lunged at him, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him under the surface. Knowing crocodiles’ tendency to spin after latching on to their prey, he wrapped his legs around the beast in a grim embrace. He attempted to gouge out the beasts’ eyes, damaging his thumb in the process, but to no avail. Completely exhausted but with incredible clarity of mind, his ‘last ditch’ attempt was to thrust his free arm down the crocodile’s throat and flip open the croc’s epiglottis, a kind of one-way valve at the back of a crocodile’s throat. As the creature’s lungs filled with water, it immediately released its grip, allowing my friend to swim to safety, utterly spent. Any crocodile larger than 7ft, he reported, would almost certainly have been too powerful to fight off.
On the few unfortunate occasions, I have found myself swimming in our crocodile-infested river, I have tried to keep calm! It is important to refrain from screaming, shouting or splashing the water. Use breaststroke to swim slowly to safety, even underwater if you can, and do not alight from backwaters or inlets where crocs invariably lie in wait. Good luck!
