New Era

RUNDU â€" A teenage girl will lose a buttock after a crocodile caught and tried to devour her along the Kavango River two days after Christmas.

Another girl suffered an almost similar fate following an attack by a crocodile. She miraculously wrestled out of the bone-crunching jaws of the man-eater in the Kavango.

The incident in which Maria Mukuve (17) was severely mauled on the buttock took place on December 27, in the Kakuro area, Mpungu Constituency.

Chrispin Mulisa the Chief Warden: Regional Services Kavango and Caprivi, told New Era the crocodile caught Mukuve while fetching water for domestic use.

"She went to fetch water. After fetching the water, she put the water container on the bank of the river as she felt the need to cool herself from the heat. To her horror, while in the water, she saw a crocodile floating towards her about two metres from her," narrated the Chief Warden from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

"She tried to flee but it was too late and the crocodile caught her by the buttocks.

In the process, she managed to fight back and released herself from the jaws of the crocodile but the left buttock was severely injured. She will definitely lose one buttock," said Mulisa, who also revealed that a team of game rangers with directives to seek and destroy the crocodile has been dispatched to Kakuro to prevent further loss of lives.

The victim, who is traditionally married with two children, was admitted to the Nankundu State Hospital where she is still recuperating from the injuries.

Mulisa said another attack occurred on Boxing Day (December 26) in the Divundu area where three girls had gone to wash blankets in the crocodile-infested river.

While the three were washing their blankets, what looked like a floating tree trunk gradually floated towards them. They were knee-deep submerged in the water.

But when the "object" gathered speed, one of the girls, who was on the bank of the river, saw the crocodile and immediately tried to alert the other two girls.

"But it was too late because the crocodile was already in an attacking position. It caught 10-year-old Matumbo Diyara together with the blanket that she was washing.

The other two girls held onto the blanket before the crocodile could drag their sister away and rescued her by freeing her from its jaws," stated Mulisa.

"They carried her to the river bank and eventually reported the case to the nearest police station after which the survivor was transported to Andara Hospital where she is receiving treatment for bite injuries inflicted by the crocodile. She was caught on the left foot. She is badly injured though she is now in a stable condition," said the warden.

As in the first case, a team led by game ranger Tapiso Kenneth and armed with a high-calibre 375 hunting rifle was dispatched to Divundu with directives to seek and destroy the crocodile if they are able to trace and positively identify it.

The two attacks bring to three, the number of people who have luckily survived crocodile attacks in the Kavango Region in 2009 albeit with serious injuries. During the same year, five other villagers who went to the river to either fish, swim of catch fish lost their lives.

Six cattle and one goat were caught by crocodiles in Kavango in 2009. Crocodiles prey on game and fish and do not typically include human beings in their diets, but in truth they will eat anything if given the opportunity.

Precautions that could save you from falling prey to a crocodile attack
- Stay away from infested waters, ask local residents and authorities about the presence of crocodiles in their lakes or rivers and don't go swimming outside designated areas or in areas where these animals may hide. Avoid entering the water at dusk and at night when these animals are very hard to see and when they actively hunt.

- Be aware of your surroundings; if you are going into the water where these animals may roam, it's imperative to avoid thick vegetation along the river or lake and to be vigilant at all times. Crocodiles can hide themselves very well in water while keeping only their nostrils above the water or submerging their bodies entirely waiting to pounce on prey.

- On land they can take short bursts of speed that can take you by surprise if you are close, while in water they are far faster than humans and they feel more at home in water, so it's best to give them as much space as possible to avoid falling victim to their attacks.

- Crocodiles rely heavily on an element of surprise on its prey and its most unusual for these reptiles to pursue a person on land so any human in decent physical shape can easily outsprint them on land.

- If you are attacked, don't lose hope, fight back and poke the crocodile's eyes or hit its nostrils with your arms because trying to free yourself from its grip will only spur this deadly beast to go into the so-called death-roll in which it may rip off your arm and leg.

- And once you survive an attack, immediately seek medical treatment because its mouth harbours a tremendous amount of bacteria that could cause a serious infection.

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