‘Bloodthirsty’ immortal monster crocodile killed 80 and ‘refused to die’
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT A giant 16ft Nile crocodile nicknamed ‘Osama’ terrorised the residents of Luganga, a village in Uganda on Lake Victoria, for years – killing and eating at least 80 people before finally being captured
The croc was finally captured using a pair of cow’s lungs as bait.(Image: AFP via Getty)
An enormous man-eating crocodile wreaked havoc on an entire community for decades – eating at least 80 people. He was named by terrified locals as ‘Osama’, after Bin-Laden, the mastermind of the deadly 9/11 attacks. Living next to the 16-foot, one-tonne heavy beast’s lake proved a daily nightmare.
Lake Victoria in Uganda stands as Africa’s largest lake and the world’s second biggest, but this is not how it made its name. Instead, Osama, an 81-year-old crocodile put this place on the map.
The nearby Luganga, a Ugandan village was robbed of a tenth of its people between 1991 and 2005, before they finally put a stop to Osama’s killing spree. Frightened villagers said the murderous man-eating crocodile would snatch children from the shore of the lake as they collected water.
Villagers feared Osama the crocodile.(Image: AFP via Getty)
Some fishermen said they saw it deliberately overturning boats to eat the humans inside. One man witnessed – and survived – an assault by the terrifying reptile, but his brother was not as lucky.
Paul Kyewalyanga, was paddling at the back of his boat while his brother Peter stationed at the front when Osama burst to the surface and grabbed him.
Paul told The Sydney Morning Herald: “Osama just emerged from the water vertically and flopped into the boat.
“The back of the boat where I was sitting was submerged.”
The petrified fisher cried out for help, but the crocodile had clamped onto Peter’s limb with its massive jaws and started dragging at him, attempting to haul him into the water.
Paul said: “Peter was clutching the side screaming. They fought for about five minutes until I heard a tearing sound.
The croc was finally captured using a pair of cow’s lungs as bait(Image: AFP via Getty)
“Peter shouted, ‘He’s broken my leg.’ Then he let go and was dragged into the lake. A few days later we found his head and his arm.”
Locals were more petrified than they had ever been, with some even jolting awake during the night and feeling driven to pray for divine protection from the beast.
Their appeals for help were finally answered in 2005 when the enormous crocodile was seized, by luring it into a cage with a cow lung.
Following a surveillance operation spanning seven days and nights, a team made up of 50 village men and wildlife authorities caught the crocodile.
When Osama lunged upwards he accidentally chomped down on a wire that coiled around his teeth.
The team worked relentlessly to subdue the writhing monster with ropes and hauled him onto the rear of a pick-up truck – but they still had not defeated him.
Locals wanted Osama dead but were told this could not happen. Authorities said: “Even he has rights. He cannot be killed with impunity.”
Instead, Osama was handed over to Uganda Crocs’ proprietors and was used in their breeding programme.
Disturbingly, they thought that he would father hundreds or even thousands more enormous crocodiles whose hides could be fashioned into handbags for shoppers in nations like Italy and South Korea.
The facility also serves as a tourist destination, where visitors can drop by to observe the 5,000 crocodiles being prepared for slaughter.
It remains uncertain whether Osama is still living or has died, though considering his age when captured and the typical lifespan of a Nile crocodile spanning 60 to 80 years, there’s a strong possibility he is no longer with us.
