Egypt's Nubians Tame Crocodiles for Selfie-Snapping Tourists

Mamdouh Hassan (R) shows a crocodile to visitors at his crocodile terrarium in the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil, on the west bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt | AFP
Mamdouh Hassan (R) shows a crocodile to visitors at his crocodile terrarium in the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil, on the west bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt | AFP
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Egypt's Nubians Tame Crocodiles for Selfie-Snapping Tourists

Mamdouh Hassan (R) shows a crocodile to visitors at his crocodile terrarium in the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil, on the west bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt | AFP
Mamdouh Hassan (R) shows a crocodile to visitors at his crocodile terrarium in the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil, on the west bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt | AFP

Deep in the Nubia, a region along the Nile in southern Egypt, a baby crocodile sits on Mamdouh Hassan's shoulder to wow tourists.

The reptiles are a source of income for Egypt's Nubian minority, with visitors paying to marvel at the tamed creatures.

But beyond bringing in tourist dollars, crocodiles play an important role in the culture of the ethnic group with a history dating to Pharaonic times and its own unique language.

The Nubians traditionally lived along the banks of the Nile in southern Egypt with roots extending into northern Sudan.

In Gharb Soheil, a Nubian village near Aswan, mummified crocodile heads still adorn the doors of the traditional blue and white-domed homes.

Crocodiles represent an important physical totem of blessings in Nubian belief.

In Gharb Soheil a stuffed crocodile on the door shows that the homeowner keeps the large reptiles as pets.

Outside his humble home in the village, Hassan gently rubbed the back of Francesca -- a 1.5-meter (five-foot)-long, 15-year-old crocodile.

"I have raised her since she was born," the 45-year-old said lovingly of his pride and joy.

"She lives on fish, meat, and chicken."

- Pet crocodiles -

During the reign of president Gamal Abdel Nasser, the construction of the Aswan High Dam created a reservoir over traditional Nubian lands.

When Lake Nasser began filling in 1964, 44 Nubian villages were flooded.

While the Nile's crocodiles benefited from the new habitat, Nasser never fulfilled his promise to adequately compensate Nubians with new land.

Instead, about 50,000 Nubians were displaced to villages north of the dam, on the west bank of the Nile near Kom Ombo and Aswan -- a narrow strip of land with limited space for agriculture.

Ever since, Nubians have demanded the return of their lands and have maintained their culture by modernizing their traditions. Keeping crocodiles became a way to supplement incomes and promote their heritage.

Hassan learned to domesticate crocodiles from his father.

"My father was one of the first people in the Nubian village who really pioneered the idea of bringing in crocodiles as pets to lure tourists," he told AFP.

In the 20 years since, he has developed a keen sense for where and when wild crocodile eggs will hatch.

Female crocodiles lay their eggs along the banks of Lake Nasser where Hassan watches for the baby reptiles to emerge before carrying them home.

"The crocodile's aggressive nature is tempered by growing up in the home with us and being cared for," he said.

Francesca is the star of the show in the village, Hassan says. She was named by Italian tourists who enjoyed her sunny personality, so Hassan kept the name.

Visitors snap selfies with the lounging beasts, while the villagers regale the tourists with Nubian folk tales about the crocodiles.

Hany, a tourist from Cairo, was delighted with the spectacle of Hassan opening the crocodiles' mouths wide with his bare hands.

"I came here with my family to spend school holidays, for the kids to enjoy seeing the crocs," the 35-year-old said.

- 'Angels of the Nile' -

For ancient Pharaohs, the crocodile-headed god Sobek embodied the fluid nature of the Nile and was prayed to for protection from the annual floods.

A temple is dedicated to Sobek in Kom Ombo, engraved with pictograms and hieroglyphics detailing the embalming of crocodiles.

To this day, Nubians maintain a tradition of crocodile taxidermy, one that remains true to a centuries-old technique.

"Although we know very well the value of crocodile leather, we do not sell it... we cherish it," Hassan explained.

A dead crocodile is skinned from its gut and filled with straw or sawdust. Large crocodiles take about a month to mummify while a smaller one dries in a few days, Hassan said.

"This is Franco, who died last month," he said of the large mummified head of one of his former pets.

Abdel-Hakim Abdou, a curly-haired, 37-year-old cafe owner who recommends Hassan's terrarium as a must-see tourist attraction, rhapsodized about the importance of crocodiles to Nubians.

"The Nile for the Nubian represents life... everything that roams in it we consider angels," he said.



Man Says He Was behind Some of the Viral Googly Eyes on Public Art in Oregon

This image provided by the City of Bend, Ore., shows a pair of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP, File)
This image provided by the City of Bend, Ore., shows a pair of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP, File)
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Man Says He Was behind Some of the Viral Googly Eyes on Public Art in Oregon

This image provided by the City of Bend, Ore., shows a pair of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP, File)
This image provided by the City of Bend, Ore., shows a pair of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP, File)

A resident of the central Oregon city of Bend says he was the person behind some of the googly eyes that appeared on sculptures around the city in recent months and sparked a viral sensation widely covered by news outlets.

Jeff Keith, founder of a Bend-based nonprofit called Guardian Group that works to combat human trafficking, said Friday that he used duct tape to attach googly eyes to two sculptures. He said he has carried out similar pranks on other Bend sculptures before — such as adorning them with hula skirts and leis — and that they serve as a respite from the emotional toll of his work.

“It is a place for me to cope with some pretty heavy stuff,” he told The Associated Press, noting that many of the trafficking victims he has worked with have been through “unimaginable trauma.”

The city shared photos of the googly eye installations on social media in early December, saying the adhesives can damage the art. One photo shows googly eyes placed on a sculpture of two deer — which Keith described as his handiwork — while another shows them attached to a sphere. City officials at the time said eight sculptures were affected and that it cost $1,500 to remove the googly eyes.

The social media posts prompted a cascade of comments, with many social media users saying they liked the googly eyes and that the city shouldn’t spend time and money on removing them. The post and its comments were covered by news outlets, and even made it on a segment of CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Keith said he didn't expect his exploits to receive that much attention, and that he went to city offices to offer to pay for any damages. The city didn't immediately respond Friday to an emailed request seeking confirmation and comment.

Bend's communications director, Rene Mitchell, told The Associated Press last month that the city regretted that its post had been misunderstood. She said there was no intent to be “heavy-handed” and that the posts were meant to raise awareness about the damage adhesives can do to the city's public art collection. The city had started treating some of the art pieces, she said, which are made of different types of metal such as bronze and steel.

Keith, who has lived in Bend for nearly two decades, said he also hopes his pranks bring some humor and joy into people's everyday lives.

“I think the biggest thing is, for me, just to get a laugh,” he said. “When I come up on these roundabouts and I see families laughing, like hysterically laughing at these, it makes for a good time.”