Gustave (crocodile)
A photograph of Gustave for National Geographic, taken by Martin Best | |
| Species | Crocodylus niloticus (Nile crocodile) |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Hatched | c. 1955 (age 70–71) |
| Known for | Allegedly killing up to 300 people |
| Residence | Ruzizi River and Lake Tanganyika |
| Weight | ≥ 2,000 lb (907 kg) (estimated) |
Gustave is a man-eating male Nile crocodile rumored to have killed as many as 200-300 people in the area of the Ruzizi river and the northern shores of Lake Tanganyika in Burundi, Africa, though one more recent estimate states the true figure is probably 60 people or fewer. He obtained a mythical status and in 2004 it was reported that he was greatly feared by the people in the region.
Gustave was named by Patrice Faye, a herpetologist who has been studying him since the late 1990s. Much of what is known about Gustave stems from the film Capturing the Killer Croc, which aired in 2004 on PBS. The film documents an attempt to capture Gustave.