DAILY MONITOR (Kampala, Uganda) 25 April 06 Entebbe’s 52-yr-old croc killed (Grace Natabaalo)
Kampala: Uganda’s oldest crocodile “Big Mama” has been put to sleep at the age of 52 years.
The crocodile, which found a home at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) formerly Entebbe Zoo, in 1957 was, the oldest Nile Crocodile.
Big Mama has been sick for the last nine months from conditions that are yet to be established. “Big Mama underwent surgery in July 2005 and has been in intensive care since then till Friday when he (yes he was a male) was finally put to sleep in a professional manner referred to as euthanasia,” a joint statement issued yesterday by the Executive Directors of UWEC, Dr Andrew G. Seguya, and Uganda Wildlife Authority Boss Moses Mapesa reads in part.
"Big Mama was brought to Entebbe Animal Orphanage in 1957 by the then Game Department.
“He is estimated to have been born in 1954 and when he arrived at the orphanage, he was mistaken to be a female and hence the name ‘Big mama’,” the orbituary released by UWA reads in part.
When Big Mama fell sick in June 2005, he was transferred to the sick bay for treatment where a team of veterinary surgeons from UWEC, the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT) and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Makerere University carried out surgery in July 2005 and was tentatively diagnosed to be suffering from organ degeneration. It was also during the surgery that Big Mama was discovered to be male, having lived for half a century being presumed to be female.
However, even with the treatment, the condition of "Big Mama" continued to deteriorate.
"Regular clinical assessments were carried out over the last nine months until it was felt that the welfare of Big Mama was severely compromised. A decision was then made by the veterinary professionals at UWEC and UWA to put the animal to sleep in consultation with the management of UWEC, UWA and the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Industry," said the official statement.
A post-mortem was carried out and further extensive laboratory investigations are ongoing to establish the cause of the illness.
The statement also said that "Big Mama lived a boring solitude life without a companion for over 30 years but was later joined by ‘Kadogo’, a male in 1987 and Zoozia, a female in 2003. After the inception of UWEC from Entebbe Zoo in 1994, a development plan to build open air, semi natural exhibits simulating major ecosystems of Uganda was made. A crocodile exhibit was constructed and "Big Mama", "Kadogo" and "Zoozia" were transferred to their new home on March 5, 2005.
Nile crocodiles live for an average of 45 years in the wild though the lifespan of over 56 years has been recorded in captivity and estimates of 70 -100 years are known. "The lifespan of 52 years for "Big Mama" is understandable. It is possible that it had reached the last days of its life", UWEC’s statement further said.
"We would like to thank the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, MTTI, CSWCT for all the efforts to save the life of "Big Mama" and to the World Bank for making his life a joy. Also those that have sponsored "Big Mama" over the years and to all the public of Uganda for the love and support given to "Big Mama for the last 52 years", said the directors of UWEC and UWA.
Entebbe’s 52-yr-old croc killed