Crocodiles Bolt Farm In South Africa

Crocodiles Bolt Farm In South Africa

A newspaper in South Africa reported the escape of around 15,000 crocodiles from a reptile farm near the country’s border with Botswana.

Last Sunday, heavy rains resulted to the overflow of the Limpopo River, which is located close to the Rakwena Crocodile Farm. Concerned at the possibility that the walls of the house will be destroyed by the floodwaters, the owners of the crocodile farm opened the gates. This resulted to the escape of the crocodiles.

Although around half of the reptiles were captured, a good number are still out in the wild. According to Zane Langman, a son-in-law of the person running the farm, the number of crocodiles at the Limpopo River has increased following the incident.

Langman indicated that they will catch the crocodiles when farmers will inform them of the presence of the reptiles. The farm and the police could not be reached for any comments about the incident since phone calls were left unanswered.

Langman indicated that the capture of the crocodiles was done mostly at night since their eyes reflect light, making it easier to see them. A good number of the crocodiles were captured along the Limpopo River. However, one crocodile was found in the rugby field of a school in Musina, which was around seventy miles from the crocodile farm.

Langman sent a boat to help neighbors during the flood. He said that they wonder if they will be able to reach them in time when they send out the boat. The crocodiles were reportedly swimming around some of their neighbors when the boat reached them.

Heavy rains that resulted to flooding caused the death of ten people in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Recommendations were made to declare some regions as disaster areas. Thousands of people have been evacuated by authorities in Mozambique.

The Limpopo has numerous game reserves and farms that house tens of thousands of crocodiles.

Posted by James Fried on Sunday January 27 2013, 5:39 AM EST. Ref: NY Times. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0