A giant Nile crocodile known as 'Osama' terrorized the village of Luganga, Uganda, for years, killing and eating 80 people before its capture in 2005. The 16ft-long reptile, named after the terrorist behind 9/11, was blamed for claiming the lives of a tenth of the village's population between 1991 and 2005.
Deadly Attacks on Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa and the second largest globally, became a hunting ground for the 75-year-old crocodile. Villagers lived in fear as Osama would snatch children collecting water at the lake's edge or glide beneath fishing boats and overturn them. One survivor, Paul Kyewalyanga, recounted to the Sydney Morning Herald how his brother Peter was killed. Paul said: 'Osama just emerged from the water vertically and flopped into the boat. The back of the boat where I was sitting was submerged.' Peter fought for five minutes before his leg was broken, and he was dragged into the lake. Days later, his head and arm were found.
Capture and Afterlife
In 2005, after a seven-day surveillance operation, a team of 50 local men and wildlife officials trapped Osama using cow's lungs as bait. The crocodile bit into a snare and was subdued with ropes before being loaded onto a pick-up truck. Villagers wanted to kill the monster, but officials said: 'Even he has rights. He cannot be killed with impunity.' Instead, Osama was handed to Uganda Crocs for a breeding program, where he was expected to father hundreds of crocodiles for leather goods. The farm also operates as a tourist attraction with 5,000 crocodiles. It is unclear if Osama is still alive, given his age at capture and the typical 60-80 year lifespan of Nile crocodiles.
