Despite multiple attempts to catch it over the years, the nearly one-ton crocodile has never been caught and may be lurking in the water ready to catch its next prey.
A giant man-eating crocodile that reportedly killed 300 people hasn't been arrested for years — despite the best efforts of the people. The 20-foot-long Nile crocodile, nicknamed Gustav, is a crocodile on Lake Tanganyika, Burundi, East Africa, and is often feared by nearby locals. It has actually become part of local folklore. The age of the giant beast is unknown, but experts estimate that it is more than 100 years old, it is still alive and looking for new prey, and there is no evidence that it is dead. Although many people tried to capture the giant crocodile, no one succeeded. Some have questioned Gustav's claim that he was over a hundred years old, arguing that his dental arch is still intact and that his age may be closer to 60. Since Gustav had not yet been arrested, his length and weight were unknown, but in 2002, it was said that he may have been over 18 feet (5.5 meters) long and weighed more than 2,000 pounds (910 kilograms) — almost a ton.
According to the British newspaper National Geographic, there were records of attacks on people as early as 1987. Over the years, many deaths have been attributed to tribal wars and even serial killers — but many suspect Gustav is behind them.
Witnesses often report similar characteristics, suggesting that it is often the same beast behind various killings. They tend to think of an unusually large crocodile with the same scar on the top of its head. The scar is believed to have been a gunshot wound caused by Gustav's capture.
A 2004 documentary titled Capturing the Killer Croc attempts to catch the infamous crocodile. The arrest was carefully arranged. Designed to catch this giant predator and relocate him to safe waters.
However, several attempts to do so to no avail. The team tried to use live bait and infrared cameras to observe the crocodile's every move, luring the crocodile into a large trap.
First, they used a live chicken and suspended it from the water in the cage. Later, when the chicken failed to catch Gustav's attention, they swapped it for a live goat.
However, it led to an even greater disaster.
When they returned the next day, the trap wrecked in high waters after the storm, the camera was destroyed and the footage could not be recovered. Goats are nowhere to be found.
They hypothesized that Gustav may have managed to escape, destroying their elaborate trap in the process.
It is not clear whether the giant crocodile is still on the run. There are claims that he was killed in 2019, but with no evidence of this, there are still concerns that Gustav is still lurking underwater to this day.
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