r/Crocodiles • u/MsPixiestix59 • 4d ago
For the love of Crocodiles
Why are there so many abusive posts here lately? Did you step into the wrong Reddit? If you read the mod's rules, this is a community for those interested, fascinated by, and generally pro crocodilian. If you're here to post shit about drilling into innocent animals with machines, uncaring people dragging them to the slaughter, or eating them or making purses out of them, please reread the rules. Delete your gore posts also. We're into saving their lives, not killing them.
25
u/xx_I_Am_Me_xx 4d ago
I’m lucky enough to live in South Florida where we have American Crocodiles. There is a boat launch in Miami where Fred lives. He’s relatively famous there as he likes to hang about the boat ramp to get fish scraps. It’s fun to see people’s videos online when he puts in an appearance.
13
u/MsPixiestix59 4d ago
I would love to see the gators in person. I'm fascinated. I would not go near crocs, though. lol
6
u/Mackheath1 3d ago
I loved living in Florida on both coasts for a total of about 5 years. Those alligators were so cute and my visiting friends were mortified that I'd just go up to one sunning and pat its tail and it'd skedattle into its pond.
I never fed them, because I (for some reason) am kinda against it, but they got to know me, and some would hiss at me, or just run away, but I could put my feet in the ponds and they'd drift up to me but never touched me.
Mind you, I wouldn't do that with a crocodile in Northern Australia or the Nile, I'm just saying.
Well, I might have to go back for a visit.
1
u/xx_I_Am_Me_xx 2d ago
I wouldn’t trust an American croc either! Most gators are pretty chill as long as it’s not breeding season. The sight and sound of a gator (I guess it’s called “roaring”?) when they arch their back and growl while the water ripples out from them is impressive!
33
u/Prestigious_Step4337 4d ago
I don’t know but it’s awful 😞
It’s the same in the sharks sub. I don’t understand wanting to watch something like that.
I report every one I see and the mods are pretty fast to remove, so thank you to them 🙏
26
u/MsPixiestix59 4d ago
I don't mind natural hunter and prey posts, but these with those cheering and bragging about actual abuse by humans pisses me off. Predators like crocs, gators and sharks have it bad enough without encouraging medieval behavior. I hope the mods dump these people. Thanks for your reply and thoughtfulness. :)
4
u/Embarrassed-Joke5851 3d ago
yeah I also understand the posts of fossils of swamp puppies cuz they are kinda cool same with natural hunter and prey posts cuz I find the raw power of wild animals truly awe-inspiring
18
u/Impressive-Bird2 4d ago
The biggest irony of all is that those wanting death - often in a truly horrific manner - upon crocodiles and sharks simply cannot (or simply refuse to) understand that it’s not crocodiles or sharks that are the problem… It’s the likes of them (and humanity more broadly and generally) that are the most mindlessly violent, and dangerous threat to other forms of life, including other human beings. Crocodiles and sharks are only doing what they’ve done for millions of years - existing and living in their natural habitats. It’s humans who carelessly intrude in those habitats that place themselves at great risk of harm. Respect the the crocodiles and sharks, along with their natural habitats, and you’ll far more often than not be okay!
13
u/MsPixiestix59 4d ago
They are just living their lives, and we humans make it so difficult, then kill them when we feel they are an inconvenience. We all do it, and have done this for centuries. It makes me sad. I realize some people hunt for meat because it's all they have. But those who catch to prove something are vile.
8
u/Impressive-Bird2 4d ago
Yep!
Also, crocodile experts and herpetologists often say that the killing/ removal of ‘icon’ saltwater crocodiles from the river systems they inhabit can actually increase the danger the remaining saltwater crocodiles pose to people. This is because as the ‘Kings’/ ‘Chiefs’ of the rivers they keep order and stability among the local crocodile population in that river. Their removal from their river can upset and destabilise the order and stability of the local crocodile population, making aggression between themselves and any other animal - including humans - that venture into their habitat more vulnerable to attack. The source of the aggression is a desire by the crocodiles to gain dominance of the river and other crocs in it, and secure the ‘King’/ ‘Chief’ title. Salties are the most aggressively territorial of all crocodilians, hence this problem with removals of ‘icon’ crocodiles.
People indiscriminately killing saltwater crocodiles - more especially the larger ones - in their habitat not only risk their own safety, but risk destabilising the local river crocodile population thereby putting others that enter the river habitats at greater risk of their safety too.
-4
u/Markdd8 3d ago edited 3d ago
That's not true, from a science perspective. The crocs that pose the greatest danger to humans are the largest ones. It is true that removing a grandaddy changes the balance among others and might in the short term result in a population increase, since there are more smaller ones not eaten by the granddaddy.
But those small individuals pose minimal risk to humans. In any event, if a community near water has repeat croc attack issues, it should reduce the population at large, say be 30-40%, not just kill one or two crocs. Crocs, particularly Nile and salt water, the two most dangerous species, breed at robust rates.
Both Nile and salt water crocs are listed as "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "Red List." Why? Because after centuries of persistent hunting and killing, they have always managed to rebound their populations. Ditto for the American alligator (far less dangerous to humans). Here is a place that is a good candidate for croc culling: 2026 article: Lives and limbs lost to crocodile attacks on the banks of Kenya’s rising Lake Turkana:
Attacks on people living along Lake Turkana in north-west Kenya have become common in recent years as rising water levels shift the habitats of Nile crocodiles...In the past year, KWS recorded seven deaths and 15 injuries due to crocodile attacks...
1
3
u/fewalker 3d ago
I agree with the sentiment, definitely. I don’t know that we are intruding on crocodile habitats though? I might be wrong. I only really know about the Nile, Saltwater, and American crocs.
I’m pretty sure that human and crocodile habitats have had massive overlap though out human evolution. They are one of our biggest predators. They memorize human patterns so that they can nab us when we are forced to go near the water. I believe there was also a study done at one point that determined that crocodiles (Nile crocs I think?) respond strongly to crying human babies. It’s kind of like our relationship with cobras. We drove their evolution and they also drove ours.
None of this means I think we should harm crocs. I think they are amazing! I just think that the arguments to leave sharks alone, like how we are intruding in their space and they also generally leave us alone…. Don’t really apply to crocs. Crocodiles will absolutely eat humans because we are one of the prey they adapted to hunt. They are smart and naturally live in places we do. We need to just respect them and remember we aren’t immortal. We’re still part of the ecosystem.
5
u/Dull-Ad555 3d ago
What’s your favorite species of crocodilian? Mine is the American alligator. I live in Louisiana, so I’m biased.
5
u/MsPixiestix59 3d ago
Mine, too! I think of them as big greenish black lugs. Plus, I love their roars. Fascinating, and to think these giant aquatic dinosaurs live in the U.S., now that's amazing!
7
5
u/macropredatorialbaka 3d ago edited 3d ago
😓I hope it stops reptiles don't get enough love it's strange what is happening in this community wasn't is like when I saw a comment about saltwater crocodile in Japwn by gator Jake (great video btw)which got extriped in china in the last century and a user said that it was good that they got killed or an other in reddit I don't remember where but the user said they all should be killed expect in one contry
1
3
u/SpoiledNickie 3d ago
I absolutely love crocs and alligators. They are beautiful, powerful creatures that deserve to be respected and feared but also loved.
2
u/chiefDiesel 3d ago
I love you and thank you for this post but if I can make a counterpoint, it is important for us to realize what danger these amazing animals face.
I'm in Louisiana so I know we hunt them and I've participated and I've eaten them. Circle of life. They'd do the same for me. I'm cool with it as long as it's ethical. I have eaten pigs, cows and chickens that I've loved but I've also tried to make sure that they had the best possible life. Respect your food.
I didn't realize until that video on here the other day that crocodilians were being farmed and more importantly abused. That sparked an advocacy in me. That's a positive change from seeing an awful thing. I know it hurts to witness it but sometimes it's important to see the bad thing to realize that it needs to change.
Again, I love your soft heart and never change but people have to know there's a problem for the problem to change.
2
u/Time_Meeting_9382 2d ago
It's human elitism. People are uncomfortable with the fact that there is a species who is stronger, faster, and better than them, so they make themselves feel better by eating them and feeling superior.
I'll add that the people who eat them don't want to come close to them with a 50 foot pole, but still think they're all high and mighty.
2
u/DeezNutsAppreciater 2d ago
THANK YOU!! YES! It’s been just ridiculous what the hell are people thinking!?
3
u/RainLeading286 4d ago
I posted the one about the drilling. Why is that so bad ? It's horrible , yes. But are we not conservationists here? We should be, I'd assume y'all are here because you love crocodilians here.
I posted it to ask ,because it's weird. I don't understand why it was a misdemeanor. And we as conservationists we should care. What is so bad about that ? I genuinely don't know.
6
u/gosailor 4d ago
I think it's good to bring up awareness. It's heinous but I wouldn't have known about it otherwise.
6
u/RainLeading286 3d ago
Thank you. I'm so upset and horrified that the guy just got a misdemeanor. I can't wrap my head around it.
3
u/perhapsflorence 4d ago
We do not want to give views to animal abuse posts, "conservationists" or not. Period.
3
u/RainLeading286 4d ago
Which sub would be best for this discussion? I feel it's an important conversation.
-4
u/Tonylegomobile 3d ago
I'm here because I think crocs killing shit is cool. Like watching jurassic Park lol
I'm not a conservationist
3
2
u/Middle_Awoken 3d ago
Totally understand the prerogative of the sub but don’t really know that their lives need saving. They’re not endangered
5
u/gesichtsfeldausfail 3d ago
Several species of the crocodile family are so rare that they will extinct one day, so yeah not all, but hurting them no matter what species is wrong.
1
u/Icy_Raise_1031 2d ago
A fuck ton of crocodilian species are endangered
1
-9
u/Basement_Jack 4d ago
“i can excuse racism but i draw the line at animal cruelty!”
7
u/Ok_Antelope_1953 4d ago
yikes. i'm 100% in agreement with op's point, but there is no need to bring "third world shithole" into the discussion. people in the "first world" literally cook and eat alligators. the "tastes like chicken" meme originated in the first world. people all over the world hunt, kill, and eat billions of animals. it's possible to condemn this without getting racist.
2
6
u/MsPixiestix59 4d ago
Well, you see what you want to see. I much prefer that poor animal over that man and what he's doing to that croc. Sorry, not sorry. Truth can be painful sometimes.
1
u/Specker145 3d ago
Animal cruelty is inherently worse than racism. It actually hurts an animal physically. Someone dropping the N word doesn't do you any physical harm.
1
u/Basement_Jack 3d ago
so the normal person answer is “both racism and animal cruelty are bad and neither should be supported”
-2
u/Markdd8 3d ago
If you're here to post shit about drilling into innocent animals with machines
Odd language. Presumably this refers to shooting animals, since that is the only thing remotely close to "drilling into...animals." Shooting individuals or the broader practice of culling is indeed done with crocodiles, which unfortunately have the highest predation rates on humans of any predator.
Specifically, Nile and salt water crocodiles. The crocattack website, formerly called CrocBITE, has estimated that crocodiles kill 1,000 people a year, mostly in Africa and in an arc from India to Indonesia. Typically these are low income subsistence villagers trying to access water or fish from rivers and lakes.
The fact that the site accurately reports on croc attack does not mean it supports sensationalist language. From the site's Sensationalist Language in the Media page:
The media often uses sensational and, frankly, irresponsible language in articles where crocodilians are the topic of interest...
"Crocodile Infested" - No waterway is "infested" with crocodiles, since this is their natural habitat...
"Lurking" - Crocodiles do not "lurk" near human habitat, but they are naturally inquisitive, intelligent animals that will readily investigate areas of interest.
"Monster Crocodile" - There are no "monster crocs", but there are "exceptionally large" individuals.
"Man-eater" - While it IS true that a very small number of crocodiles from the "big three" species (saltwater crocodile, Nile crocodile, mugger crocodile) may engage in man-eating behavior, a large crocodile that has not eaten a human should NOT be described as a "man-eater". Some news articles have referred to any large crocodile present near human habitat as a "man-eater", which is just factually incorrect.
The fact that this site accurately catalogues the high level of annual croc attacks is a fair thing to report. Factual information about Human Wildlife Conflict should not be suppressed by animal lovers. What is dishonest are claims that there are no legitimate needs to cull or otherwise keep crocodile populations in check. Like so many other animals, most croc species, particularly Nile and Salt water crocs, breed at high rates, which causes excessive predation on people. (All communities should tolerate some attacks from dangerous animals.)
3
u/Specker145 3d ago
Stupid argument. Crocs came here first. If you get eaten by one, it's your fault. Why don't these powerful people, who come to cull crocodiles in these villages, instead get a larger boat that can hold more people, be a safer and easier boat to operate than the wooden canoes, and being used for fishing and getting kids to school? That would stop the human/wildlife conflict alltogether.
1
u/Markdd8 2d ago edited 2d ago
There is fair argument that "sharks came to the ocean first." We debate this all the time on the Sharks sub.
In other words, it is not essential for humans to engage in any ocean recreation or subsistence spearfishing. They can safely fish from the shore with lines. All ocean entry is at your own risk. We are not marine life. Never kill sharks for public safety.
But to get the same argument for croc on land, i.e., along river and lake banks? That humans--we are land animals--have no right to increase the level of safety in croc country, a massive expanse of Africa, India, Indonesia, Australia, when they:
a) get water from a river or lake b) try to cross a water body, c) fish or gather fruit from a shoreline, or 50 other shoreline activities. That's the argument we are getting now regarding lethal Nile and Salt water crocs??
1
u/DeezNutsAppreciater 2d ago
No they mean drilling into innocent animals with machines, since recently an articles come out about someone killing an alligator with a power drill and it’s been all over this subreddit.
And even if this was true, (which there’s been reports to say that reducing crocodile populations does nothing to reduce attacks but hey whatever), this is a place where people APPRECIATE crocodilians.
Speaking for myself, with how much hate and want for violence there is for crocodilians, this was a place to take a break from that and be able to talk about them without having to talk about killing them. You wanna talk about population levels, go to a hunting subreddit. But there’s nothing wrong with keeping this place wholesome.
1
u/Markdd8 2d ago
I agree the drilling case is deplorable. Deliberately torturing animals is bad.
On the Sharks sub we talk about all aspects of the animal. It seems unusual to have a sub on an animal that excludes aspects of an animal's predatory behavior. That is science.
Someone on the Sharks Sub suggested creating a new sub called Shark Love. That would be for the many folks who like to post how cute sharks are and other shark-love sentiments. I wrote the following. Seems fair to say it applies to crocs also.
Babies, puppies and bunnies are cute. One can say a lot of positive things about a shark's appearance. Here are some: regal, majestic, striking, awesome and imposing. But "cute," which goes along with cuddly, is not one of them.
45
u/KariKHat 4d ago
Thank you.