Recently reflecting on what have been some of our more challenging assignments, we unanimously agreed that protecting a client for several months who was working on a project a few hundred kilometers up the East Alligator River in Arnham Land (tropical far north Australia) would be at the top of the list.
This assignment was conducted on the crocodile infested water ways of a very inhospitable, unforgiving environment.
Although it was a relief not to have the usual rogue’s gallery of innapropriate/obssessed/emotionally disturbed fans, stalkerazzi and politically/financially motivated criminals to consider, we had to deal with a far more experienced and lethal predator who is indisputably at the apex of the food chain.
Crocodiles are believed to be about 200 million years old, other dinosaurs became extinct only 65 million years ago which give you an idea on not only how long crocodiles have been able to refine their predatory skills but how good they are at it to have survived the great extinction events.
Unlike sharks which are predators of opportunity crocodiles are the ultimate stalker assassins. Because of their size, an adult male will be up to 20 foot long and weigh around 3000 pounds, they conserve their energy and only assault after careful surveillance of their target.
They study patterns of behavior and then lie in ambush, patiently waiting for their target to be where they calculated them to eventually appear. To repeat any activity in the same vicinity of the river/flood plains in Croc territory is inviting an attack. They are the masters of concealment and stealth movement, being completely invisible and undetectable in as little as three feet of the muddy waters of the rivers of far north Australia.
Crocodiles can hold their breath for an incredible period of time, so rarely are air bubbles detectable and can slow their heart rates down to three beats per minute. From this state they can, with incendiary speed, launch an attack and pull a full grown steer into the water and death roll them.
They are heavily armour plated and could be described as an amphibious Abrams tank!
On our assignment, we had protect our client for several months whilst daily, they and we, were in small aluminum boats with a very low draught line to the water amongst numerous 14 to 18 foot Croc’s. Because of the remoteness of the location, the boats had to be launched and beached, boarded and un-boarded directly from the river banks.
As with mitigating the threat posed by any other assailant, applying the time proven strategies and tactics of surveillance detection, anti surveillance measures, evasiveness, speed of movement, respect for your opponents capabilities, understanding their SOP's,eternal vigilance and superior firepower carried they day !
1 comment:
Hans Van Dundee. Nice one mate.
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