Some septuagenarians spend their retirement relaxing. But Janet Martyn, 73, does things differently.
|||Western Cape - Some septuagenarians spend their retirement relaxing. But Londoner Janet Martyn, 73, does things differently.
She has been hopping into a steel cage and diving into crocodile-infested waters at Cango Wildlife Ranch, spending some quality time nose-to-snout with a group of Nile crocodiles.
“They are just so beautiful,” Martyn said. “They’ve ceased to be a lot of reptiles to me, but individuals.”
Martyn is a dedicated volunteer at Cango, and has spent two or three weeks there every year for the past seven years. Cango’s Tammy Moult says that she is passionate about crocs, and a dedicated worker.
“She is an amazing woman. She works harder than a lot of the 20-year-olds. She really puts her back into it.”
Moult said crocodile cage divers were typically young adventure-seekers. Martyn is one of the oldest to confront the crocs.
Martyn said it had been a long process working up the courage to do the cage dive. After spending time at Cango with people who loved the crocodiles, she caught their enthusiasm.
“It infects you when you spend so much time with people who love something,” said Martyn.
The wildlife ranch, in Oudtshoorn, was the first to create a crocodile cage diving experience, during which a cylindrical cage is lowered by a crane into the water. Although they do not use bait to draw the crocodiles to the cage, the animals are trained to associate the cage with food, and are eager to approach it.
Nile crocodiles average between 4m and 5m in length and weigh about 410kg, though crocs up to 6.1m and weighing 900kg are not uncommon. They are opportunistic predators who take a variety of prey, including fish, reptiles, birds and mammals.
Cango has not had any safety incidents with the crocodile dives. The crane has a double chain system hooking on to the cage, there is a safety escape inside. The whole system is checked regularly.
In addition, said Moult, the crocodiles were well fed.
The ranch had recently replaced the three elderly and “sluggish” crocodiles with four inquisitive young males who were keen to get close to the cage.
“You know you’re safe because of the cage,” Martyn said, “though if you put your hand out you may have it removed.”
Speaking by phone from London, Martyn said she planned to do another cage dive when she visited South Africa later this year.
“It’s already booked,” she said.
alison.decker@inl.co.za
Cape Argus