Sacred Crocodiles

We visited the Sacred Crocodiles in the village of Bazoule just outside of Ouagadougou a few weeks ago. It was a Monday holiday. Isaak didn't have to work. So we went with some of our dear friends, Matt and Megan, and got up close and personal with some crocs.

These Nile crocodiles (considered one of the most viscous predators) are very sacred to the residents of Bazoule, and because the locals hold them in such high regard they have lived side by side for over 600 years, sharing a very close relationship with each other. The crocodiles are known to walk into residents home, the children swim in the lake where they live, play by them, the residents feed them, sit on them, and offer sacrifices to them. And perhaps unlike anywhere else in Africa these Nile crocodiles in Bazoule have become incorporated into the community and both reptile and human enjoy a peaceful co-existence with each other.

There are over 100 crocodiles that live here, in this lake. In rainy season this area is covered in water, but now the lake has shrunk down in size. We started here and had to walk clear around the lake to almost the very far corner on the right side. 

It was well over 100 degrees ( I mean, it is everyday) without any source of shade and we were soooo hot from that walk but the girls were troopers.

The ground was so cracked and broken and thirsty from water and as we walked on the ground it sounded just like walking on crunchy snow during the winter. I had flashbacks to Nebraska winters as my feet crunched over this dry land, except I was about as far from a Nebraska winter as I could get!

As we started to round the lake we spotted a cluster of village kids filling up water containers and swimming in the water. The same water that the crocodiles live in.

There was another group that arrived the same time as us and once we reached the desired spot for croc sitting they lured out the she-croc with the promise of chicken.

Here she comes....

and she wastes no time gobbling up her meal.

After that the guide told us we could come and sit on her. But everybody just kinda stood there....looking around at everyone else, waiting to see who would be brave first. And then Matt, who's done this five or six times, marched over there to show everyone how it's done.

After Matt sat down you could see everyone start to let the fact that he just sat on a Nile croc sink in. And not only was he not eaten but the crocodile literally just sat there and let him do it! As if it was totally normal to be sat on by a human! Incredible! After that everyone started to follow suit and the croc didn't so much as move an inch.

Isaak went first, but he hovered, not wanting to sit down all the way. After Isaak I slowly walked over and tentatively stood over the croc....I mean, I couldn't believe we were getting to actually do this!!

Oh my gosh, I'm standing over a crocodile! Do I dare sit down?! Oh my gosh I just sat down all the way on a crocodile!!!!

Then I figured...while I'm standin' here, I might as well shake her hand. So I did. I shook a crocodiles hand. It was squishy and very oddly textured. Cool points for me.

Yup. That's right. Parents of the year for sure. I figured if the local kids were swimming in croc infested waters and me and Isaak survived, I would give our girls the option to get close to them as well. And they did. Isaak was very close, not taking his hand off Sydaleigh in the event that the she-croc moved.....but dude....that croc did. not. move!! I've never seen anything like this! It goes against everything we know to be true about crocodile behavior. It was absolutely amazing.

After we had our adrenaline rush, our guide took us back around the lake and had the crocs do some "tricks".

For having such small arms and legs...those suckers can get some height!! And despite the fact that they look really slow, they are actually really fast.

We were really this close. There were probably over a dozen crocs in front of us at this point, creeping out of the water all around us to try to get a bite of some chicken. Looking at these crocs I felt like I was looking at a species of dinosaurs. With their plated tails and armored bodies....you really get a feel for just how ancient these creatures are when you are this close to them.

They are quite remarkable. Nile crocodiles are between 13-15 feet long and weigh 900 pounds. Seriously...the things I have come to learn about since moving to Africa! I never would have thought that I would come to find crocodiles more fascinating than terrifying. I mean, they are still scary....but they are so fascinating!

Such an awesome experience to see crocodiles this close!

*(And while I'm aware that others may look at this as totally crazy, I can't help but compare it to some other equally reckless and crazy things people do but have become so accepted in our society they are now considered normal.

Take for instance.....

Sky diving. Seriously, you are jumping out of an airplane to your near death with your life in the hands of a little pull cord. Crazy? Ch-yeah! .

Bungy jumping. For real, people go leaping off bridges and buildings to their near death putting any hope for a future life in the hands of a little bungy cord. Crazy? Uh huh. 

Swimming with sharks. Sharks have the highest testosterone levels of any living creature. And yet people willingly swim along side them. Crazy? Yup.

Siegfried and Roy and their Las Vegas show with white lions and tigers was the most visited show in Las Vegas, earning them awards and ranking them the 9th highest paid celebrities in the US. People paid good money to watch them perform with wild animals. Crazy? Some might say.

Dream World in Australia allows people to wake up and walk with Begal tigers. Crazy? Probably. 

Galloping on a horse that rides up to 40 mph with nothing holding you on except for some feet straps. Crazy? I'd say so.

Downhill ski racers can travel up to 60mph and Olympians skiers can travel downhill up to 90mph, which is faster than the legal speed limit on highways where we have seat belts and air bags, yet they have nothing to keep them from becoming one with the mountain of snow they are traveling over except their skill with a thin blade fastened to their foot. Crazy? The craziest!

And then there's sitting on a crocodile. Crazy? Doesn't seem as crazy to me and some of these other risky adventures. The problem is that is seems crazier because we don't do this in our society. Whereas sky diving, bungy jumping, shark swimming, skiing, and watching wild animals perform with no barrier between stage and audience are crazy adventures that have become riskfully acceptable in our society.

I'm not saying it's not risky. I'm just saying that it's no riskier than all the other crazy things that people do. And perhaps maybe less....)

 To an unforgettable experience! Only in Africa I tell ya!