You may have heard or seen some adds for a new horror film called “Primeval,” touting the film as being based on the true story of a serial killer, still at large, who has claimed over 300 victims. What the ads don’t reveal (understandably, given the nature of what they’re advertising) is that the killer is a crocodile named “Gustave.” He lives in war-torn Burundi, and is often referred to as “legendary,” leading me to wonder if many crocodile attacks in the area may be misattributed to him. Anyway, this is actually a serious post – I ran accross this quote on the National Geographic site:
Faye and other witnesses saw Gustave last November on the Bujumbura shore area, which is very good news, as many feared he had died or been shot. Apparently, two more deadly attacks were linked to Gustave’s coming back. Since then, we’ve lost track of him. It is difficult to spot Gustave these days due to the heavy showers that have poured over Burundi over the last two weeks. Water in the lake is high and muddy. The rainy season has been intense this year; the water levels will finally go down in April.
I understand that a very large, old, and aggressive animal is interesting from a certain perspective – I was curious enough to look this up. However, I don’t see how anyone can write in good conscience that his continued survival is “very good news”, followed immediately by “two more deadly attacks were linked to [his] coming back.” Faction leaders of Burundi may have little regard for human life, that doesn’t mean that the lives of the Burundi people are acutally trivial.
