There aren't so many animals of legend out there that truly exist. The Loch Ness Monster sometimes turns out to be a fish. A shocking number of sea monster spottings can be explained by whale penises. Generally, samples of "yeti" hairs turn out to be from bears, though at times - just at times - it's a dog.
Gustave
Then there's Gustave, an animal that has gotten itself a renowned status in Burundi. Though myths have grown all over Gustave - some say he's 12 meters (40 feet) in length, others believe the croc is yellow or red in color, or with grass growing out of its head - there is a basis of fact to the more grounded tales.
Footage disclosing a large crocodile has been captured, and also photographs.The reptile is possibly the largest crocodile in Africa at an estimated 20 feet ( 6 meters) and 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms), but the crocodile has gotten notoriety for far worse reasons than being a chonky boi: rumor has it that it may have killed more than 300 people.
Locals to Lake Tanganyika are afraid of the croc, who is reported to journey large swathes of the lake shores, consuming "fishermen and bathers on the way," according to Patrice Faye, a herpetologist who studied the animal and reports of the killings for many years.
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An Attempt to Capture the Crocodile
Faye told the BBC: "He can consume 10, 15, or 20 humans along the bank. One year, I took the path he followed on one of his forays and 17 people had been consumed between Kanyosha and Minago, and Kabezi and Magara."
In 2004, a wrangler - filmed by a documentary crew the entire time - made an attempt to capture the crocodile so as to relocate it for the safety of the residents close to Lake Tanganyika. The team, headed by Faye, made efforts to lure the crocodile into a 9 meter (30 foot) trap, but they failed. One last attempt saw them place a goat into a springloaded trap, in a scene right out of Jurassic Park.
The Failed Plan
After some nights of just short looks of what could have been Gustave, the team started speculating that "Gustave is smarter than we think." Finally, on what became the last night for the crew, the night vision camera cut out when it was raining heavily.
The next morning, the crew returned and discovered that the cage tipped into the water. The goat was nowhere to be found.
Recently, there have been opinions that Gustave might still be wandering the lake - though, like everything around Gustave, this is probably because the legend that has sprung up around him.
Related article: After 150 Years, Mysterious Extinction of Horned Crocodiles Finally Solved!
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