Don't get eaten by a crocodile: in South Africa or Swaziland

Abstract

Croc attacks are not a major problem at national or provincial level in most countries, so funds and resources to mitigate them are scarce. However, for victims, attacks can be devastating. People may be killed or disabled, bringing grief, fear and - in rural areas - poverty, to victims, their families and communities. Crocodiles may be killed in retaliation. Wildlife conservation authorities and local people may have serious disagreements about how to respond to such attacks. This guide aims to help reduce these problems.

The guide includes information on the wider context of croc attacks in Africa, when and where attacks occur in the region, victim profiles, information on crocodiles involved in attacks, case studies, information on the biology and behaviour of Nile crocodiles, advice on how not to get bitten, what to do if you are bitten, how you can help prevent attacks, and an attack report form.

Printed, colour copies are being distributed free in the region. Please contact me on croc.conservation@gmail.com with any queries or requests regarding use of this guide.

I have made a pdf available on Researchgate but it is large - 8mb at low res. I can send it to you in 2 parts of 5mb and 4mb on request.

Please cite as: Simon Pooley, How not to get eaten by a crocodile: in South Africa or Swaziland (London: Croc.Conservation, 2015).

This guide is licensed with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

This infographics in this guide were developed with funding from an ESRC / Imperial College London Impact Acceleration Grant to Dr Simon Pooley, based at ICCS, at Imperial College London. They can be viewed as interactive infographics on the CrocBITE website ( http://www.crocodile-attack.info/). Simon is working with Dr Adam Britton (RIEL, Charles Darwin University) and Brandon Sideleau on a worldwide database on croc attacks.

Full text

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Crocodile attacks in South Africa and Swaziland, 1984 - 2014
Where do attacks happen?
Region
INCIDENTS
Total number of attacks: 96
Swaziland
Districts with attacks
Lubombo 12
Hhohho 5
Manzini 3
South Africa
Provinces with attacks
KwaZulu-Natal 38
Limpopo 23
Mpumalanga 14
North West 1
Number of attacks
Data for South Africa and Swaziland

Summary findings on croc attacks
in South Africa & Swaziland

Water body
River
or stream
DamEstuary Lake CanalSwamp Ocean On land
Unknown
71 10136 3 20 0
Dry and hot season
Attacks by month
J F MA
KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland
M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D
When do attacks happen?
0
200
400
Wet and hot season
Monthly average minimum temperature, °C
Rain, mm
0
200
400
Rain, mm 0
20
10
Monthly average minimum temperature, °C
0
20
10
Dry and cool season Number of attacks
Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West
Data for South Africa and Swaziland

How do some victims survive?
They escape
28
49%
They get rescued
24
42%
Unknown
4
7%
Both
1
2%

VICTIMS
Total number of victims: 101
Some attacks involved multiple victims.
Victim profiles and outcomes
Data for South Africa and Swaziland
Fatal
44
Non-fatal
57
Local
76
Visitor
22
Unknown
3
Swimming
or bathing
41
Fishing
25
Crossing
10
Boating
5
Other
3
Rescuer
1
Unknown
8
Chores
8
10

Who gets attacked?
Total number of victims: 101
VICTIMS
Data for South Africa and Swaziland
10-19
39
20-29
18
30-39
13
40-49
7
50-59
3
60-100
1
Unknown
14
0-9 years
6
Men
31
Boys
36
Unknown
13
Women
12
Girls
9
Non-fatal
57
Fatal
44

12

Changes in victim profiles over time
Victim activity profiles
Data for South Africa and Swaziland
Number of attacks
per 5-year period
23
20
17
6
11
19
BoatingCrossing Chores
Fishing RescuerSwimming
or bathing
UnknownOther
1984-1989
1990-1994
1995-1999
2000-2004
2005-2009
2010-2014

Total number of victims: 101
Victim gender
Girls
(0-19)
Men
(20+)
KEY FACTS
Data for South Africa and Swaziland
Total number of victims: 101
Most dangerous activity
66%
of victims
were males
(but 13%
unknown)
40%
of victims
were swimming
or bathing
(but 8%
unknown)
Boys
(0-19)
Women
(20+)
See page 14 for key to icons

Total number of attacks: 96
See page 7 for key to icons
Most dangerous water body Victim age
74%
of attacks took place
in rivers or streams
10
19
20
29
30
39
40
49
50
59
60
100
0
9
45%
of victims
(where age is
known) were
in the age
group 10-19
Total number of victims: 101

Unknown
11
Escaped
67
Injured &
escaped
9
Are crocs usually found near the attack site?
Unknown
16
No
1
Sometimes
10
Yes
69
Total number of attacks: 96Total number of attacks: 96
Crocodile species responsible for attacks in the region: Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus
What happens to the croc?
Killed
4
Caught &
relocated
5

How big are the crocs involved in attacks?
Size
unknown
Large
(>3.5m)
Medium
(2-3.5m)
Small
(0-2m) 3
6
10
77