South African Zoo officials were due to start a hunt on Tuesday for a Nile crocodile which set up a home in a river near Pretoria, frequently swam in by children and dogs, the Johannesburg-based The Star newspaper reported.
The scaly reptile, now dubbed Charlie, was spotted for the first time last week, lazing in the waters of the Hennops river on a farm a few kilometres west of the capital’s city centre.
Farm worker Billy Mmutle told the newspaper he first spotted the crocodile while taking dogs for a walk on the banks of the river, which flows through Ernst Botma’s farm.
“As three dogs ran past that spot, something suddenly glided into the water. Then something rose from beneath the water. It was a crocodile’s head,” he said.
Said The Star: “So today two conservationists who work with reptiles at the National Zoological Gardens were due to go to the farm to look for Charlie, armed with a rope and a noose.”
Experts studied photographs of the beast, and concluded that Charlie was a Nile crocodile, about 1,5-metres long and not considered dangerous to humans.
They believed the croc escaped from a reptile farm as they were not naturally found in the area. Botma said he was not taking chances.
“I have to keep my dogs and the children who swim in that river in mind.”
He added that since news of the crocodile had spread, there had been a remarkable decrease of trespassers in the area. – AFP