Feisty Jack Russells go head to head with four crocs

When Neels van Wyk, section ranger at Crocodile Bridge, received a call from a Komatipoort resident that dogs had cornered a buffalo in the reeds across from the Komati Golf Course, he was not prepared for the events that were about to unfold." The person is a resident of Crocodile Street and he could still hear the dogs barking by the time we arrived,” said Neels, who had gathered a few of his field rangers to investigate the situation.“We wasted little time in getting to the scene, being guided by the constant barking. I had my rifle and we walked about 800m when we reached the reeds.”Neels cautioned the field rangers that the buffalo would in all probability charge when he picked up their presence and they should be extra careful.

“We entered the dense reed bush and the situation was very tense. As we approached the edge of the bush we found an open sandy area and were about 15 paces away from the barking. I was ready to, at any moment, face a very irritated buffalo, when the following picture developed.” Neels says about 10 metres away were two short-legged Jack Russell dogs in a showdown on the sand with four crocodiles. The crocodiles were lined up in front of the dogs and moving forward while snapping their jaws at them, trying desperately to get a midday snack. As if in a dance, the dogs escaped the crunching jaws and, in turn, reiterated with Jack Russell chomps. “They were literally a metre apart,” says Neels.He rushed towards the spectacle and three of the crocodiles returned to the water. One stood its ground, not about to let go of the tasty nibble.

“I calmed the dogs and after a while they came to us. The last crocodile had to go back to the water empty-jawed.”By that time it was late afternoon and Neels and his team had the dogs with them as they returned to their vehicles. “The dogs were well looked after and I wanted to ask their owners how they found themselves in the reeds, but having asked a number of people, we could not establish who the owners were.”In the end, Neels decided to let the dogs go and see if they would find their way home so that he could follow them there. “That was the last we saw, they outran us all.”Photo Raymond Travers