Australian Man survives Flesh Eating Lizards In Laos

[USVirgin]

Are they still regularly sighted in the NT? I can't gather that from the article.

[Julian2]

They're there in huge numbers, also in Northern Queensland.

There's a campaign underway to have hunting seasons on them to reduce numbers.

It's virtually impossible to swim in the tidal rivers up there without being eaten... which regularly happens to Japanese tourists who think that the "Danger, Crocodiles. No Swimming" signs don't apply to them.

Sort of Sushi for crocodiles.

[USVirgin]

Poor bastards probably couldn't read the signs.

 

I've often complained that, on public golf courses in SoCal, the "repair your divots" and "rake the bunkers" signs should be written in Korean instead of English, since most Korean men don't seem to think that etiquette applies to them as well.

 

My local course has lakes. Perhaps we could import a few of your crocs and put up warning signs in English around them.

[gobbledonk]

I think the Australian Saltwater crocodile would kick both their butts.

 

OK - Nile crocs and our own salties are very similar animals, but those docos where they show you the Nile crocodiles working together when the Wildebeest try to cross the river : that's some frightening footage. Amazing how big crocs can get:

 

Two larger certifiable records are both of 6.2 m crocodiles. The first crocodile was shot in the Mary River in the Northern Territory of Australia in 1974 by poachers and measured by wildlife rangers[citation needed]. The second crocodile was killed in 1983 in the Fly River, Papua New Guinea.

 

The largest crocodile ever held in captivity is an Estuarine/Siamese hybrid named Yai (Thai: à¹?หà¸Âà¹?, meaning big) (born 10 June 1972) at the famous Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo, Thailand. This animal measures 6 m (19 ft) in length and weighs 1,114.27 kg (2,450 lb.)

 

The Nile crocodile is the largest crocodilian in Africa and is sometimes regarded as the second largest crocodilian after the Saltwater crocodile, usually measuring between 3.3 and 5 m (11 and 16 feet), but can grow to 6 m (20 ft).[3] Good sized males weigh 500 kg (1100 lb)[4], but can also reach up to 2000 lbs (909 kg).[5] The largest accurately measured male was shot near Mwanza, Tanzania and measured 6.45 m (21.3 ft) and weighed aproximately 1,090 kg (2,400 lb)

 

No question that either croc would have the dragon for an appetiser before dining on something more substantial (Oprah, hopefully ..), but most crocs stay close to water : the Dragon doesn't. That's the aspect of this animal that I find terrifying, along with the fact that the bacteria in its mouth will seriously infect any wound, leaving you in a world of hurt. Cant say I'd like to be attacked by either animal, but I'm prepared to stay away from their respective habitats.

 

PS I lived north of the Tropic of Capricorn for 5 years, and in that time have never felt that I was in any danger from crocs, despite regular sightings in various rivers and beaches. I suspect that most people who are attacked are in the wrong place at the wrong time : you just don't wander around the riverbank at dusk ...

 

Gobble

[Central Scrutinizer]

...he became lost on a short walk to a waterfall in a national park in the Khammouane province of Laos on July 31

 

Okay, I'm a little vague on this. They didn't go into detail. I've not been to Laos. LOS and Cambo but not Laos.

I hear stories of lizards, snakes, etc. and it scares the shit out of me frankly.

What exactly happened, it just said he entered the park.

Are these things everywhere? Are they in LOS? Or only native to Laos?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve,

 

Native to Thailand as well. You can see some in Lumphini Park in Bangkok, wild ones, not in a zoo. Here's a few pics of some Thai ones. The one eating the fish was seen in Lumphini Park. -Cent

 

 

[gobbledonk]

Cent,

 

The animal in your photos is very similar to our own monitor here in Oz, the infamous 'goanna' : other than stealing chook eggs, they arent terribly dangerous. Those claws are formidable, but they will usually run away if approached. The speed at which they can run is pretty scary, but they dont have a reputation for biting humans - the Dragon does.

 

Not sure what species the 'flesh-eaters' in the original story were, but if there were hundreds of monitors nibbling this guy, he'd be a set of sneakers like our French friend.

 

Gobble

[Torneyboy]

Are they still regularly sighted in the NT? I can't gather that from the article.

 

 

Yes ..you often see these chasing after kangaroos in the main street....

 

[CTO]

My father when he was a boy shot and killed a 6 ft crocodile he excitedly told his mum - turned out to be a huge goanna. Not a lot of Crocodiles near Tamworth

[gobbledonk]

Not a lot of Crocodiles near Tamworth

 

CTO, I was born in Gunnedah (as were my mother and grandmother). Guess we both made a dash for the city as soon as humanly possible. :smirk:

[CTO]

Nah I'm still a country boy but I hate C&W!

 

We need to drink more together!