Crocodile kills U-S doctor in Botswana

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Dark Knight

Dark Knight

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SEATTLE (AP) - An American doctor working in Botswana was killed by a crocodile that pulled him from his canoe.

The family and colleagues of Doctor Richard Root say it happened Sunday during a wildlife tour after visiting a clinic.

The crocodile reportedly thrust from the water, grabbed Root, and pulled him under. He was not seen again.

Root was 68, and a medical professor at the University of Washington. He moved to Botswana to ease a doctor shortage, and was training health care workers to deal with AIDS.

Root was a nationally known expert in infectious disease.

 
Holy Cow, I think I have seen that guy on Fox News in the last year or so talking about bird flu or something...I remember his name. How horrible!!!!
 
What a horrifying tragedy!!!!!:eek::eek::eek::(

Prayers for his family.

love,

A~
 
No way I would take a canoe anywhere that had saltwater crocodiles! I've seen enough Crocodile Hunter to know they are NOT to be trifled with!!!!

What a horrible way to die. Poor guy. And horrible to watch happen, too.
 
Dark Knight said:
No way I would take a canoe anywhere that had saltwater crocodiles! I've seen enough Crocodile Hunter to know they are NOT to be trifled with!!!!

What a horrible way to die. Poor guy. And horrible to watch happen, too.
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Nope--- me either.......no canoe rides for me!
 
They've been running ads for teens/college students interested in "seeing the world and helping people" while on vacation, find of a short term peace corp thing. They show Anglo kids building schools and digging wells and being thanked by gaggles of grateful native chldren. But they don't show stuff like this--you know, getting grabbed by crocs while going to fetch water from the river.
 
I hadn't really ever heard of a crocodile snatching someone out of a canoe. Between the hippos, crocodiles, and the poisonous snakes, that's a nasty place to try and survive. The hippos won't hesitate to attack a boat. There was an engineer, from the company I worked for, who got chomped, and killed, by an angry hippo, a number of years ago.

And the parasites, and nasty microbes, that are prevalent there, can eat you up from the inside.
 
My brother's sister-in-law, in her late 50's, left a very successful, Hollywood wardrobe consultant career, to join the Peace Corps, and go to South America, She only lasted three months, and almost died from very severe disentary; it took her over a year to recover once she returned to the U.S.
 
Buzzm1 said:
I hadn't really ever heard of a crocodile snatching someone out of a canoe. Between the hippos, crocodiles, and the poisonous snakes, that's a nasty place to try and survive. The hippos won't hesitate to attack a boat. There was an engineer, from the company I worked for, who got chomped, and killed, by an angry hippo, a number of years ago.

And the parasites, and nasty microbes, that are prevalent there, can eat you up from the inside.
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I read in another article that the safari guides WERE concerned about hippo attacks, but there hadn't been croc attacks reported before there. If there was the SLIGHTEST concern about hippos, a canoe is NOT the way to go.

Another sad fact came out, his newlywed wife was right behind him in another boat and witnessed the attack. :( Prayers for her!
 
This is a HORRIBLE way to die.

Everyone's comments have been very interesting. I watched a program on tv(so take it for what it's worth) that crocs don't attack even a baby hippo because the adult hippo close by will surely kill it. True?

Also about someone's comments about getting snatched by a croc while getting water from a river...I've watched enough Discovery Channel to believe that.

Bless his wife and help her with the nightmares and horrible thoughts that will haunt her.
 
Marine Mom said:
This is a HORRIBLE way to die.

Everyone's comments have been very interesting. I watched a program on tv(so take it for what it's worth) that crocs don't attack even a baby hippo because the adult hippo close by will surely kill it. True?

Also about someone's comments about getting snatched by a croc while getting water from a river...I've watched enough Discovery Channel to believe that.

Bless his wife and help her with the nightmares and horrible thoughts that will haunt her.
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You are correct that saltwater crocs are afraid only of hippos, as hippos can and will kill them easily and without hesitation, especially with a baby around. They are wary of even crossing rivers that have hippos in them.
 
This is very sad news :( :( :( .. prayers for going out for his loved ones
 
In one of the last pictures taken of Dr. Richard Root, of Seattle, Root can be seen boarding a canoe Sunday morning in the African country of Botswana.

"All of a sudden, the canoe just shook and Dick went over and never came back up," said his wife, Rita O'Boyle.

Root was in the lead canoe with a tour guide. O'Boyle was in the canoe behind taking snapshots.

"Then the water changed color, and I just knew he was gone," O'Boyle said.

African crocodiles can be huge and fast, and they can jump out of the water for prey.

"Crocodiles have this amazing ability to target something out of the water, and they come like a missile out of the water and they do not miss what they're aiming for," said Root's son, David Root.


http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/8186997/detail.html
 
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