Kalangala student escapes with injuries in fight with killer crocodile

A 21-year-old secondary school student is nursing serious injuries after surviving a crocodile attack at Lwabaswa landing site in Kalangala District.

Brian Yamani, a student at Bishop Dunstan Nsubuga Memorial Secondary School in Kalangala, is receiving treatment at Kalangala Health Centre IV.

Yamani narrated that the crocodile attacked him as he placed his bag in a boat.

“I was placing my bag in the boat when the crocodile pounced, grabbed my arm and started pulling me into deeper water,” Yamani told Bukedde TV

“I used my free arm to pry its mouth open and pull out my other arm. At that point, it grabbed my foot,” he said.

Yamani said the bag remained strapped to his back during the struggle. He removed it and threw it towards the crocodile, which released him and grabbed the bag instead, allowing him to escape back onto the boat.

The attack left him with serious injuries to his arm and foot.

Yamani now fears that the injuries could disrupt his education and football career.

“I am now hospitalised with serious injuries and unsure whether I will return to school because I was studying on a bursary for playing football,” he said.

Residents said at least three large crocodiles have terrorised communities around the landing sites.

They said that another resident was killed two weeks ago while fetching water at the nearby Kaazi landing site.

Area councillor John Lutalo asked the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to intervene before more residents and domestic animals are killed.

“We are losing lives here. We send our children to the lake to fetch water,” Lutalo said.

“Worse still, even when we are careful, our domestic animals cannot survive. We need help from UWA.”

Residents who live around Lake Victoria often depend on the lake for water, fishing and transport, which increases their exposure to crocodiles.