Paarl man killed by a croc thought they were ‘nasty creatures’

The Paarl man killed by a crocodile over the weekend was a Zimbabwean ballet dancer and painter.

On Saturday morning the Le Bonheur Crocodile Farm‚ where Johan Burger worked as a guide‚ announced that he was fatally wounded in one of their crocodile ponds.

According to one of his close friends Debbie Fleming‚ a dance teacher from Harare‚ he thought crocodiles were “nasty creatures‚” and only managed to befriend one crocodile which he is holding in a picture on his Facebook profile.

“He said they are not nice creatures‚ he said they are nasty. He said there was this one he could approach‚ and he could hold it on his shoulder‚” said Fleming.

“He said that is the only one that was friendly to him‚ he could pinpoint it‚ and he'd go and get it and he would hold it up for the kids.''

Fleming said he loved animals and nature and was involved in moving lions from a game farm in Zimbabwe to South Africa and even helped the lions settle into their new habitat.

“It's quite interesting to see that he actually chose to do this‚ maybe I think it's because he was looking for a job‚” she said.

Despite this she said he was fascinated with crocodiles and their nature and that he was interested in learning how to treat them.

The Le Bonheur Crocodile Farm owner‚ Alzette Mocke‚ said the staff at the farm were undergoing trauma counseling and that police are investigation the incident.

She said they would release more information on the circumstances surrounding his death after the police investigation was complete.

Fleming and her husband visited Cape Town in December for their wedding anniversary. This is the last time they saw Burger.

“I do not know a single person‚ male or female‚ from all over the world‚ who did not think he was a wonderful person. He was game for anything‚ he had the most positive outlook on life‚” she said.

She said he still loved going to watch ballet in Cape Town and that he was very fit but that he had stopped dancing some time ago.

-TMG Digital/The Times