- Five crocodiles sparked panic after escaping into the wild from a farm in China
- A total of 78 baby crocodiles escaped while their enclosure was being renovated
- All but five of the crocs were recaptured leaving the rest to head for the river
Five crocodiles have sparked panic after escaping into the wild from a farm in Sichuan, China.
A total of 78 baby crocodiles escaped while their enclosure was being renovated last weekend when their storage container was accidentally tipped into a pond.
Some 73 were recaptured leaving an extra five on the loose, likely to make their way to a nearby rivers to eventually grow large and breed.
Five crocodiles have sparked panic after escaping into the wild from a farm in Sichuan, China.
Officials have organised search parties, ordering that all crocodiles be accounted for ‘dead or alive.’
The reptiles are Siamese crocodiles, one of the world’s most endangered in the wild thanks to their prized hide and status as a Chinese delicacy.
While the animal has all but died out in the wild, its population is still going strong more broadly with an estimated 700,000 Siamese crocodiles in farms throughout Southeast Asia.
A total of 78 baby crocodiles escaped while their enclosure was being renovated last weekend when their storage container was accidentally tipped into a pond
While the animal has all but died out in the wild, its population is still going strong more broadly with an estimated 700,000 Siamese crocodiles in farms throughout Southeast Asia
The crocodiles escaped as infants so don’t pose a threat to any humans, the farm said, adding that they were unlikely to survive the winter in the cold anyway.
The last time China had a mass reptile escape was in Anhui province in August when 92 alligators escaped from a research facility during heavy flooding.
Afterward, officials told local residents not to worry because ‘most’ had been caught.