Crocodile hunting in Zimbabwe

Crocodiles or “Flatdogs” as they are referred to in Zimbabwe are large prehistoric cold-blooded aquatic reptiles. These cunning killing machine submarines feature in many documentaries and all water sources, dams, lakes and rivers in the country should be treated as dangerous areas, so keep out the water. Crocodiles are mainly hunted in the Limpopo River on the border with South Africa and the Zambezi River catchment between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Many of the inland government hunting concessions are issued permits to hunt their quota of crocodiles in Lake Kariba which boasts some monsters. A conservation restocking program of the Zambezi River for the past 50 years has seen the return of a healthy Crocodile population were once nearly wiped out by Crocodile hunters early in the previous century. Crocodiles are not as easy to hunt as one might expect. They have an acute sense of hearing and will dive into the safety of water at any sign of danger. When a suitable Crocodile has been sighted in an area, a rotten stinking bait is staked to the ground along the shoreline is used to lure the Crocodile into a suitable shooting position whilst feeding. Temporary blinds are built overlooking the bait site from which the hunter can take careful aim. A misplaced shot could mean that your intended prey will slip back into the water and will possibly be lost forever. Hunting a crocodile requires import and export CITES permits from both Zimbabwe and the country to which the trophy will be exported.