I don't know whether you were, but some people who saw it some days ago on TV were appalled and outraged. There they were, some never-do-well low-lives throwing a malnourished dog into the Rio Cobre in the vicinity of the Old Iron Bridge in Spanish Town, St Catherine. They were trying to lure me into a trap, me, the clever crocodile.

And poor dog! Every time they tossed him, I cried crocodile tears, for the frightened canine. What a set of people wicked. In their effort to catch me, an innocent creature, they were using another as bait. How cruel. Little did they know I was right there in the murky water, watching their acts of barbarism. But the hapless ignoramuses know nothing about crocodilian behaviour, and how sly we crocs are.

I could have devoured the emaciated mutt in one gulp the very first time it landed, but I am not in the habit of eating flea-infested mangy mongrels. Moreover, I heard from my cousin, the American alligator, that dogs have a rather bitter, rubbery taste, quite unpalatable. So, from my vantage point, I enjoyed the spectacle hoping that while they were tossing the dog, someone would accidentally fall into the water, or that the dog would swim to the other side, dragging one of them into the river by the rope tied around its neck.

powerful muscles

Our physical make-up allows us to be successful predators. We have a streamlined body that enables us to swim swiftly. We also tuck our feet to our sides while swimming, which makes us faster by decreasing water resistance. We have webbed feet, which allow us to make fast turns and sudden moves in the water or initiate swimming. Webbed feet are an advantage in shallower water where we sometimes move around by walking.

We are very fast over short distances, even out of water. Since we feed by grabbing and holding on to our preys, we have evolved sharp teeth for tearing and holding on to flesh, and powerful muscles that close the jaws and hold them shut. Our jaws can bite with immense force, by far the strongest bite of any animal. We also have sharp and powerful claws.

Just imagine me sinking my razor-sharp teeth into sinfully delicious, warm human flesh. What a foretaste of glory divine that would be! A mean, I was in my natural habit, minding my own business, searching for food of which there wasn't much. For, the residents have polluted the river and killed the fluvial preys, leaving us to scavenge on the dead animals (except dogs) that they throw into the river.

I, too, was outraged, for as much as I waited not one of the idiots fell into the river. It would have be a welcome change to my regular menu. So, I moved on, simply refusing to be enticed by a rubbery dog, lacking in good taste and pedigree.

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