Don’t ever underestimate a crocodile. With the strongest bite in the entire animal kingdom, topping that of even hippos and great white sharks, coupled with their status as an ambush predator, being able to patiently lie in wait for an opportunity to attack their prey, it’s no wonder that they’ve been alive since the age of the dinosaurs and are considered apex predators today.
Depending on where you live, crocodile attacks may be commonplace, especially if the crocodiles that are native to where a human population lives are large. They are opportunistic predators and won’t hesitate to target you if they think that you might be an easy meal. There have even been reports of crocodiles going out into land to search for prey.
Prevention is your best weapon
The best way to ensure that you survive an encounter with a crocodile is to ensure that you don’t encounter one in the first place. Having to confront one in a fight or flight mode already puts you at a severe disadvantage, especially if you find yourself facing one in a body of water.
Here are some tips that you should be aware of to minimize the chances that you end up having to confront a crocodile:
-Don’t swim in bodies of waters that are known to have a crocodile population. Other than the obvious fact that there are likely crocodiles swimming around nearby, there may be one or more much closer than you think, just waiting for easy prey to come by. If you get jumped by a crocodile in the water, you have a very low chance of survival. Follow the signs and stay away. If you accidentally fall into the water, stay calm and try to be as quiet as possible. Splashing and shouting will simply attract the attention of nearby crocodiles and potentially cause them to attack.
-Don’t go near crocodile nests or their young. Breeding season is when crocodiles are at their most aggressive, and you are likely to see many of them on land, searching for a nest or looking for a mate. If you see a mound near a riverbank with eggs inside, or a tiny little crocodile, their parents aren’t too far away. Like most animals, the mothers are very aggressive in defending their young, and will attack first if they perceive you to be a threat.
-At the minimum, stay within 5 meters of a crocodile as well as the edge of the water. Crocodiles are known for hunting their prey at the water’s edge, being ambush predators and all. Over 90% of crocodile attacks occur on or near water as well. Keeping a good distance away from the crocodile also helps make you less of a wanted target, or at least gives you more time to react if the crocodile decides to go after you.
-Avoid setting up camp near bodies of water. If you know that there is a known crocodile population nearby, don’t try to take the risk and set up camp nearby. Crocodiles are quite active at night, and as mentioned earlier, are known to hunt near riverbanks. You’re setting yourself up to be attacked by a crocodile in the dark.
-Don’t feed the crocodile! You shouldn’t be approaching them in the first place, but you also shouldn’t be feeding them. It’s already dangerous enough that you’re coming within close proximity for the crocodile, but giving them food teaches crocodiles to associate the presence of humans with food. This means that further encounters with different humans may cause a crocodile to react more aggressively, as they might think that the humans will give it more food like you did!
-Don’t allow your pets or children to remain unattended in crocodile territory. Crocodiles like smaller prey. Attacks on children are common, due to their smaller size relative to a crocodile, and your dog probably looks like a nice lunch for a crocodile. If you really must bring your dog, make sure that it is always leashed, and that you always remain on guard especially if you are near water. The same goes for children; keep an eye on them at all times, and make sure they stay away from the water.
-Don’t get water from the same spot twice. If you don’t have enough water with you on your trips, you might resort to having to cautiously get some water on a nearby river source that may have crocodiles. Assuming you get enough without being attacked, you may want to think twice about going back there in the future. This is because crocodiles are clever hunters. Again, going back to the fact that they are ambush predators, if they saw you gather water there before, they may likely move into that spot, or somewhere nearby, submerge, and wait for you to come back. If you do come back to try to get seconds, that’s when the crocodile spring up and goes in for the kill. And don’t think you can outwait a crocodile either by waiting for it to submerge – they are very patient hunters, and can stay submerged for hours on end.