Talk:Crocodile attacks

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An entry from Crocodile attacks appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know? column on 24 March 2006.

"Since 1990, at least a dozen people have been killed by crocodiles, including University of Washington medical professor Richard Root, M.D., age 68, who had moved to Botswana to alleviate a shortage of physicians, and Russell Harris, a 37-year-old British engineer, who was snorkelling off of Picnic Beach in Australia."

Just wondering what makes these two especially notable? They are listed along with several others, but get an additional mention in the text.

Probably to lenghten the lead. Maybe they got larger coverage too, but I personally wouldn't know. Circeus 21:31, 24 March 2006 (UTC)

I wonder if the whole thing isn't a little biased. Look at this paragraph, in the article crocodile:

The larger species of crocodiles can be very dangerous to humans. The Saltwater and Nile Crocodiles are the most dangerous, killing hundreds of people each year in parts of South-East Asia and Africa.

If it is true that hundreds of people are killed each year, what makes those few listed in this article so notable? SaintCahier 22:53, 24 March 2006 (UTC)

Because they are from developed countries. I suppose if an Egyptian doctor on tour of Yellowstone was mauled and killed by a Grizzly it would make headlines back in Egypt, while the death of a village Egyptian along the southern Nile by a croc might make the local papers. It's notable only in being out of the ordinary.-- Stbalbach 01:28, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

Your willingness to acknowledge your racism so openly makes it all the more chilling.—This unsigned comment was added by 81.155.82.17 (talk • contribs) .

LOL, whatever, anon. Sign in and we'll have a discussion and clear up any misunderstandings you may have. -- Stbalbach 16:57, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

A Google News Search has at least four attacks in just the last month in the first ten results. And I think Australia has had more than a dozen people killed over the last decade. The statistic cited is pretty strange. Amygdala 06:05, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

Indeed. The whole article is flawed. Oh dear Wikipedia.

The notion of attacks on developed countries was not exact. Some of the attacks metioned happened in Third World countries. Also, crocodile attacks will make headlines anywhere those animals are not common, not only on developed countries. SaintCahier 04:03, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Guinness got it wrong?

According to the 2007 Guinness World Records book, page 165, middle right of page, "Most Fatalties In A Crocodile Attack: On February 19, 1945, a Japanese Army unit was forced to 10 miles (16 km) of mangrove swamps on the Burmese (now Myanmar) island of Ramree. The swamps wer home to many saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), which can grow to 15 ft (4.5 m). By the morning, of the 10,000 soldiers that entered the swamp, only 20 had survived."

I have found nothing to confirm the GWR number. I usually only found something about 9,000 soldiers less!

D8a 22:06, 3 January 2007 (UTC)