The Terrifying Tale of a Man Trapped on an Australian Island by a Giant Crocodile

It sends shivers down my spine to even think about being killed by a reptile. Recently, I was discussing the tragic incident where two boys were killed by an African rock python in Canada. The thought of being slowly suffocated by the cold, crunching grip of a python’s body struck a nerve deep within me. I wasn’t trying to demonize the creature in any way with that discussion. Instead, I wanted to highlight the fact that even when you remove a predator from its natural habitat, it never loses its wild instincts.

Imagine being killed by a crocodile. It’s hard to think of a worse way to go. The infamous death roll, where the massive ancient reptile grabs you in its jaws, pulls you under the water, and spins you around until you can’t struggle or breathe, is the stuff of nightmares.

Fortunately, crocs aren’t usually kept in suburban homes long enough to grow big enough to kill a human. But that doesn’t stop people from seeking them out!

Recently, The Guardian reported the story of a man from New Zealand who found himself trapped on Governor Island, off the coast of West Australia, by a six-meter crocodile. This man, known only as ‘Ryan’, had been exploring the island after being dropped off by a boat. When he realized he was running low on supplies, he decided to paddle his 2.5-meter canoe back to the mainland, which was about 4 kilometers away.

But every time he got in the water, the giant saltwater crocodile he had been watching would follow him, as if chasing him, and stop him from making any progress towards safety. This went on for two weeks until someone in a boat happened to spot him and came to his rescue. Desperate for water, the stranded kayaker was given a cold beer by his hero and taken back to the mainland.

This story does something important for me. It reminds me of this:

And it also makes a similar point as the example of the Canadian children-killing python, but in a different way. We should remember that without our intelligence, evolution would be pretty disappointed in us humans. It would be like, “Oh man, I really messed up with Homo sapiens.” You see, we’re not that great physically. We’re slow, weak, can’t swim well, can’t fly, and can’t survive underground or burrow like other animals.

But here’s the thing: we’re smart. In most situations, we can figure out how to keep ourselves safe or defend against threats. Just look at these wetsuits designed to protect against shark attacks. They’re pretty cool, right? But sometimes, we get a little carried away with our awesomeness. We start thinking we’re invincible and end up on an island near Australia, being outsmarted by a toothy dinosaur.