A Really Big Problem
I have worked closely with a population of crocs in the country of Costa Rica for almost a decade. I know these crocs as individuals, and they are truly like family to me. I was terribly upset when I discovered that something was dreadfully wrong with them. They were going blind. I was determined to find out what horrible thing was causing this condition in my beloved crocs, so I immediately organized a "Dream Team" of scientists, biologists, toxicologists and wildlife veterinarians to accompany me to Costa Rica and research the problem.
Diagnosing an illness in a croc is similar to diagnosing one in a human; it all starts with a physical examination. The only problem is that gigantic wild crocs usually aren't cooperative patients! Doing a physical on a croc, just like a human, involves gathering important data such as length, weight and overall appearance, and visual inspection of eyes, ears, nose and throat. The most difficult part of the operation by far is getting the weight! Big crocs are unwilling participants and will not simply step upon the scale when asked. Furthermore, there are few scales that can register such tremendous mass as a big croc, especially in the field on a muddy riverbank. Therefore, these data are sorely lacking in scientific literature. They are just too difficult and dangerous to get, though vitally important. I was determined to overcome all obstacles and acquire these important data, especially if they could help my crocs.
Heading in to the Savannah...with my Hippo suit
Ever wonder what it would be like to be stuck in a cramped box, all alone, in total darkness, scared by strange unknown sounds, and surrounded by some of the world's most dangerous animals? It sounds like most peoples nightmares, but for me it was an incredible experience and part of a National Geographic Channel expedition. Project Hippo, Close Encounter, had me inside an incredibly life like hippo decoy with the objective of crawling close enough to get a sweat sample from their big sweaty bodies. That's right hippo sweat sample!!
Hippo sweat is a hot topic in the scientific world, because scientists recently discovered that hippo sweat is a natural sun block as well as an antiseptic. Chemists and pharmaceutical companies are keen to unlock the secrets of this strange compound so that they might utilize it for human applications. The only problem...getting close enough to a hippo to acquire a sample. Hippos may look like big chubby, happy creatures, but do not be fooled. They are the second largest land animal on the planet, tipping the scales at over 3 tons, huge mouths armed with razor sharp tusks, and an extreme attitude. More people are killed by hippos in Africa than any other animal, so getting close enough to swap the sweat from their bodies was a serious undertaking, thus the hippo suit was born.
Brady On the Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Last Tuesday, Brady hit up Hollywood to talk about his venture back in to the infamous Snake Cavern. Check out the Tonight Show with Jay Leno site for more...
Rafting the Rapids on the Nile
While working in Kruger National Park I knew that there would be many dangers to deal with on this expedition. Whenever I'm working in Africa I always have to remind myself to not simply get caught up in the majestic beauty, but also keep a sharp eye for the many dangers all about, like lions, elephants, buffalo, crocs. I'm always prepared for these dangers and my Nat Geo film crew takes every precaution when working in the field. We are all well versed in working around dangerous animals and have decades of experience between us, yet on this expedition we all found ourselves grossly out of our element and in one of the most dangerous situations that I can remember.
Our mission on this expedition was to capture a number of Nile crocodiles and attach satellite transmitters to them enabling scientists to monitor their movements. We were working in a very remote part of the park, in an area called the Olifants Gorge, a massive canyon cut out by the raging Olifants River. The good news was that the Olifants was filled with big crocodiles affording us lots of opportunities for captures, the bad news was that it was extremely difficult to get down the canyon walls to the rivers edge. There was only one place to enter the canyon, and that involved scaling a very steep bank down to the river, therefore we had to pack everything on our backs making the descent a perilous journey. Owing to the difficulties of the situation the only boat that would be able to utilize in this remote area was an inflatable....never ideal when capturing sharp toothed crocodiles! This was our only option making us all a little uneasy. Adding to our anxiety was the fact no one had EVER floated this section of the river in a rubber raft, and there was only one way in and one way out.
Once we pushed off we were stranded on the river until we exited the canyon many miles down stream. If something went wrong there could be no rescue, and to make matters worse, this section of the River wasn't a lazy slow moving stretch, but rather a frothing whitewater flume cutting through sheer rock walls on either side. Man, this was serious whitewater!! As we stood around I asked who among the crew had whitewater rafting experience, and all I heard were crickets chirping!!! No one had any experience, and these were dangerous rapids filled with crocs and hippos.
Croc Encounter Facts
Ever encounter a crocodile in the wild? Or ever plan to? Here are some facts you should know about the swampy beasts before encountering them yourself.
Crocs are one of the oldest living reptiles whose ancestors existed during the days of the dinosaurs.
They are smarter than your average reptile, they have one of the most highly developed brain of the species.
It's eyes have a nictitating membrane made of a thin translucent tissue that is used as protection for their eyes when open underwater.
Talk about bite force! They constantly replace old teeth with new ones and some species may produce nearly 100 teeth during their lifetimes.
Hide and Seek - Crocodiles have sense organs on their skin and face that might enable them to detect food by distinguishing changes in pressure or electrical impulses when prey moves nearby in the water. Some crocodiles can hold their breath for an hour when they are fairly inactive.
Crocodiles can communicate using a variety of different calls.
Nothing is too rough for them to swallow, the crocodile's digestive system is highly acidic which allows it to digest bones and horns.
Brady gives a preview of Croc Crisis
Dangerous Encounters: Croc Crisis premieres this Saturday at 8p et/pt.
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