Gustave, a giant Nile crocodile in Burundi, is feared to have killed up to 300 people and has never been captured despite repeated attempts by scientists.
The enormous reptile, named by herpetologist Patrice Faye, who has studied it since the 1990s, has preyed on people living along the Ruzizi River since the late 1990s. Gustave is estimated to be at least 20 feet long and weighs 143 stone, and fear among local residents peaked in 2004.
Early Sightings and Injuries
Gustave was first spotted in the late 1990s with three bullet wound scars and a severely injured shoulder blade, although no one knows how he sustained these injuries. He is thought to be more than 60 years old and has been studied extensively since his killing spree began.
Scientists predict he turned to human prey because of his immense size, which meant the agile creatures crocodiles in the region usually eat, such as fish, antelope and zebra, were of no use to him. The massive crocodile was then forced to attack much larger creatures such as hippos, buffalos and humans, resulting in his high number of recorded kills.
Attempts to Capture Gustave
While many argue the real number of people he is believed to have killed is closer to 60 than 300, he also left his victims' bodies uneaten, prompting fears he was attacking humans for sport.
In 2004, Faye and several other scientists went on a mission to capture the killer croc. For two years they used many methods to snare Gustave, but each time he managed to escape. They created a huge trap cage, nearly 30 feet long, and baited it with a camera installed to film the capture. However, Gustave resisted the bait and the trap. The team then built three more traps along specific banks of the river, which captured several smaller crocodiles but not Gustave.
Final Attempt and Reappearance
With just one week left before the team would be forced to leave the country due to political unrest, they tried one more capture. They placed a live goat in a huge bait cave, but a thunder storm damaged the infrared camera, so no footage was captured. The next day, the cage was found partially submerged in water and the goat was missing; it was unclear if the goat escaped in the rising waters or if the cage failed.
Five years later, in 2009, Gustave reappeared in the Ruzizi River near Lake Tanganyika. By 2019, reports claimed the giant croc had finally been killed, but no evidence has been seen and his body has never been found. Nile crocodiles normally have a life span of between 70 and 100 years.
