Africa Wild

News24
2013-01-24 09:03


Polokwane - About 15 000 crocodiles escaped from the Rakwena crocodile farm near Pontdrif after the Limpopo River came down in flood on Sunday evening.

Zane Langman, the son-in-law of the crocodile farm’s owner, said a couple of thousand had been recaptured in the dense bush next to the river, but more than half were still missing, reported Beeld.

They were forced to open the crocodile farm's gates, out of fear that the force of the water would crush walls.

“There used to be only a few crocodiles in the Limpopo River. Now there are a lot,” said Langman.

“We go to catch them as soon as farmers call us to inform us about crocodiles.”

Crocodile catching was apparently easier at night as their eyes shone red in the dark.

Homes on the farm and surrounding area had been evacuated and possessions carried out as water flooded the region.

Langman told how he went to rescue friends in a flooded house in the area by boat on Sunday.

“You want to get them but you wonder the whole time if you’ll make it there. When we reached them, the crocodiles were swimming around them. Praise the Lord, they were all alive.”

Most will be in Mozambique by now!

Hopefully they'll take some poachers along the way.

locals will be wearing crocs soon

good one Gumps and welcome back here

General Gump wrote:locals will be wearing crocs soon

I prefer them in Lacoste designer sleeping bags!!

Farmer banned from recapturing crocs


February 8 2013 at 10:37am
By SAPA

Limpopo - A Limpopo farmer from whose farm thousands of crocodiles escaped during recent flooding has been banned from recapturing them, Beeld reported on Friday.

Zane Langman, owner of the Rakwena crocodile farm in the Pontdrif area, told the paper on Thursday he was negotiating with the environmental affairs department about its decision.

“They told us we weren't allowed to capture crocodiles from the Limpopo River before we're given permission, because we can't prove ownership of the animals.”

The crocodiles made world headlines when about 7 000 of them escaped into the Limpopo River when it burst its banks.

Langman said he had recaptured about 3 000 of the reptiles on his farm and in the surrounding areas during the past three weeks, but the rest were in the Limpopo river and its tributaries.

Environmental affairs department spokesman Wisani Shilenge could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the National SPCA said in a statement the way in which the crocodiles were caught was inhumane.

The organisation's Nazareth Appalsamy said inspectors had observed the crocodiles being shocked with stun guns to make it easier to catch them.

Rakwena exports crocodile skins to Italy, and sells the meat locally. - Sapa