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So, "maybe". I feel like i'm in a unique position to talk about this. My family has been involved in crocodiles in one way or another since the 1950's, from a

So, "maybe". I feel like i'm in a unique position to talk about this. My family has been involved in crocodiles in one way or another since the 1950's, from a close family being eaten, to working in their preservation and tourism. Crocodiles are definitely a high level predator. Mangrove swamps make an ideal breeding and hunting grounds for pubestant crocodiles. Each male crocodile will consider humans (and other animals) a challenge to its territory. When they have an opportunity to overpower a threat, they will do so and drown their prey and stashing the corpse under a log usually under water. These humans would likely be forced to sleep in the mangroves, the British had control of the non mangrove areas forcing them directly into the territory of the crocodiles, the humans in the dark and asleep would EASILY be taken and drowned. My uncle (deceased last year) tells me of the time when my family friend was taken by a local crocodile. She was knee deep in the water, splashing herself with the water on a hot new years night, the other party goers around heard a splash and not even a chance of a scream. Imagine this when you are 500 strong, in a thick area of crocodiles with mangrove swamp blocking noise. I can't bring myself to watch narration on the story but ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s4lrLtMjwA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s4lrLtMjwA ) is supposed to be pretty accurate. Its possible that I'm doxing myself and a clever person maybe can figure out my family from this. This is one crocodile, with a territory size of about 200m. Imagine this across an mangrove area of the island, while you are hunted, tired and can't hear your team. The worse part is, the japanese soldiers probably were not aware of the existence and the the sheer number of crocodiles in Ramree, it is a recipe for disaster. If the crocodiles didn't kill them, the bites and infections from them likely would.

B1FF_PSUVM 2y ago
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s4lrLtMjwA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s4lrLtMjwA ) is supposed to be pretty accurate There is a good point in a comment there - at the time crocodiles were not expected: """ @thebackwardpointinggodwit8080 1 year ago To all those people saying how could someone swim in waters with all those crocs around? Well the bit this account misses is that for many years crocs had been hunted to near extinction in that area and right across the north of Australia. Croc attack had become just a distant possibility in the most remote of locations. Then croc hunting was outlawed in the 70s and croc numbers recovered quickly and their distribution moved southwards to include places like the Daintree over the next decade or so. No-one really expected to see big crocs in the Daintree in the early 80s and what these people did was normal and considered not dangerous at the time. I was in Australia at the time and I remember when that attack happened - it didn’t seem possible. I and most people thought it was much more likely that she simply drowned or disappeared - or maybe some foul-play had occurred and people were covering it up - but we were very skeptical that it was a croc. Now crocs are common right across the north of Australia and sadly attacks keep happening, but Beryl Wruck just had the misfortune to be the first person to find out the hard way that things had changed and what everyone considered safe no longer was. """
- klipt 2y ago
  > Then croc hunting was outlawed in the 70s and croc numbers recovered quickly and their distribution moved southwards to include places like the Daintree over the next decade or so. So it was a policy choice to increase safety for crocodiles while decreasing safety for humans. Humans are entirely capable of eradicating crocodile attacks, we just choose not to.
  - pookha 2y ago
    Find it interesting when human governance systems develop clear psychopathic behaviors. Wild animals -- like salt-water crocodiles -- are their own version of a system and any system with nothing that kicks back against it will expand to fill the known universe as long as there's positive inputs. The idea that you'd allow a tier-one apex predator -- that can average 17 feet in length -- to explode and grow to these numbers and risk the lives of countless people and wildlife is a form of nihilism. You're saying we as humans are less important than a prehistoric reptile that lives off rotting flesh.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
  - rad_gruchalski 2y ago
    > Humans are entirely capable of eradicating crocodile attacks, we just choose not to. Why would you do that. They have been here millions of years before us. Leave them alone?
  - burnished 2y ago
    Probably unwise to try and completely pacify the entire planet.
    - klipt 2y ago
      Possibly. It's interesting to consider that we've already pacified our major predators in other parts of the world. Think of how many stories warn children about the "big bad wolf" vs how many wolf deaths have you ever heard of? The stories might be a legacy of times past before we killed off most of the wolves near us.
rightbyte 2y ago
> So, "maybe". Ye I guess it is plausible but dunno if there would be enough crocodiles. War stories like these are often just made up for propaganda or jingoist gossip purposes. Like, Wikipedia references a source saying the "crocodile massacre" didn't happen. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ramree_Island https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ramree_Island
- worthless-trash 2y ago
  I also remember a time when I was told by experts and pundits alike that "crocodiles" didn't eat my family friend, the police didn't believe it either until someone found the animal with human remains inside. I have had enough experience in the real life to know that the wikpedias truth is held by the most persistent editors, not what actually happened.
  - rightbyte 2y ago
    Sure but the claim is not "at least one soldier eaten by crocodiles". Lets say 5 were. The gossiping would easely raise that to 300.

B1FF_PSUVM 2y ago

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s4lrLtMjwA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s4lrLtMjwA ) is supposed to be pretty accurate There is a good point in a comment there - at the time crocodiles were not expected: """ @thebackwardpointinggodwit8080 1 year ago To all those people saying how could someone swim in waters with all those crocs around? Well the bit this account misses is that for many years crocs had been hunted to near extinction in that area and right across the north of Australia. Croc attack had become just a distant possibility in the most remote of locations. Then croc hunting was outlawed in the 70s and croc numbers recovered quickly and their distribution moved southwards to include places like the Daintree over the next decade or so. No-one really expected to see big crocs in the Daintree in the early 80s and what these people did was normal and considered not dangerous at the time. I was in Australia at the time and I remember when that attack happened - it didn’t seem possible. I and most people thought it was much more likely that she simply drowned or disappeared - or maybe some foul-play had occurred and people were covering it up - but we were very skeptical that it was a croc. Now crocs are common right across the north of Australia and sadly attacks keep happening, but Beryl Wruck just had the misfortune to be the first person to find out the hard way that things had changed and what everyone considered safe no longer was. """

klipt 2y ago
> Then croc hunting was outlawed in the 70s and croc numbers recovered quickly and their distribution moved southwards to include places like the Daintree over the next decade or so. So it was a policy choice to increase safety for crocodiles while decreasing safety for humans. Humans are entirely capable of eradicating crocodile attacks, we just choose not to.
- pookha 2y ago
  Find it interesting when human governance systems develop clear psychopathic behaviors. Wild animals -- like salt-water crocodiles -- are their own version of a system and any system with nothing that kicks back against it will expand to fill the known universe as long as there's positive inputs. The idea that you'd allow a tier-one apex predator -- that can average 17 feet in length -- to explode and grow to these numbers and risk the lives of countless people and wildlife is a form of nihilism. You're saying we as humans are less important than a prehistoric reptile that lives off rotting flesh.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
- rad_gruchalski 2y ago
  > Humans are entirely capable of eradicating crocodile attacks, we just choose not to. Why would you do that. They have been here millions of years before us. Leave them alone?
- burnished 2y ago
  Probably unwise to try and completely pacify the entire planet.
  - klipt 2y ago
    Possibly. It's interesting to consider that we've already pacified our major predators in other parts of the world. Think of how many stories warn children about the "big bad wolf" vs how many wolf deaths have you ever heard of? The stories might be a legacy of times past before we killed off most of the wolves near us.

rightbyte 2y ago

> So, "maybe". Ye I guess it is plausible but dunno if there would be enough crocodiles. War stories like these are often just made up for propaganda or jingoist gossip purposes. Like, Wikipedia references a source saying the "crocodile massacre" didn't happen. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ramree_Island https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ramree_Island

worthless-trash 2y ago
I also remember a time when I was told by experts and pundits alike that "crocodiles" didn't eat my family friend, the police didn't believe it either until someone found the animal with human remains inside. I have had enough experience in the real life to know that the wikpedias truth is held by the most persistent editors, not what actually happened.
- rightbyte 2y ago
  Sure but the claim is not "at least one soldier eaten by crocodiles". Lets say 5 were. The gossiping would easely raise that to 300.