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THE MONITOR (Kampala, Uganda) 28 July 06 No Crocodile Tears For 35-Year Old Man-Eater Of Mukono (Evelyn Lirri)
Kampala: It has terrorised them for years but residents got sweet revenge last Wednesday when Kiyaga's man-eating crocodile died.
The crocodile is believed to have eaten nine residents of Kiyaga landing site in Mukono since January.
Vermin guards lured the reptile with fresh meat and fish and eager to continue its feast, it fell in the trap. They shot the reptile providing relief to the residents.
Only Vanice Mirembe, Uganda Wildlife Authority's community conservation officer in charge of problem animals mourned the beast that ate a resident last week.
Mirembe was sad that UWA had failed to rescue the male crocodile of the Nile species, which weighed between 800 to 900 kilograms.
She said vermin guards, who are trained by UWA to take charge of problem animals but are under the ministry of Local Government, killed it.
The vermin guards take charge of problem animals in areas outside UWA protection.
Mirembe said residents had been complaining about the crocodile.
She said usually when crocodiles become threats, they capture them and take them to either Buwama crocodile home, located on the Kampala-Masaka road or transferred to the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe.
"Unfortunately, before we came for them they decided to kill it," Mirembe said.
To Kiyaga residents the crocodile's death was a blessing for another reason.
Many rushed to remove its tongue, claws, nail, nose and private parts.
"We have been told they are used for witchcraft purposes," Mirembe said. "That's why the residents removed them before UWA officials came to remove the crocodile from the landing site."
UWA official believe the crocodile was 35 years old.
That is a tender age to die for Nile crocodiles that 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 crocodile carcass was lying at the UWA offices in Kamokya.
No Crocodile Tears For 35-Year Old Man-Eater

NEW VISION (Kampala, Uganda) 27 July 06 UWA mourns crocodile (Matthias Mugisha)
Very small Photo at URL below: aphrodisiac? Mirembe (right) looks at the crocodile at the UWA offices in Kamwokya
The mood at the Uganda Wildlife Authority head office in Kamyokya was sombre yesterday.
The officer in charge of problem animals, Vanice Mirembe, said they were mourning the death of a 750kg male crocodile believed to have eaten nine people, a cow and a pig without leaving any evidence.
Its motionless and mutilated body, lay in a green pick-up truck in the parking yard. It’s private parts, nose, tail and parts of its eyes had been chopped off by suspected witches in Mukono.
The crocodile, believed to be in its mid- thirties, was shot dead by a vermin control officer on Wednesday morning at Kigaya landing site in Busagazi parish, Mukono district.
The villagers immediately started cutting off some of its parts for use in witchcraft. Women cut off its nose and private parts to be used in concoctions believed to attract men and make them (women) sex goddesses.
A woman, who preferred anonymity, said the women rub the concoctions in their private parts and wear some in the obutiiti (loin beads) as an aphrodisiac.
The woman added that a man who has sex with such a woman gets addicted to her.
Mirembe said the substance from the crocodile’s eyes is believed to change tough bosses into humble people before their juniors.
“People believe your boss can shake with fear and promote you because of the look in your eyes after rubbing this substance in your eyes,” she said
Uganda Wildlife Authority was planning to relocate the crocodile before it was killed.
“We had plans of relocating it. We had taught the villagers how to attract it to a certain area using baits. But when it showed up, they contacted the vermin control office instead,” Mirembe narrated in her office.
She said the locals claimed that the crocodile had eaten nine people, a cow and a pig over an unspecified period of time. The last victim was allegedly devoured three days before it was shot.
By yesterday morning, the carcass was due to be taken to Makerere University faculty of Veterinary Medicine for study purposes.
UWA mourns crocodile