15,000 Crocodiles Escape From Breeding Farm In South Africa

Around 15,000 crocodiles escaped from a breeding farm in South Africa following heavy rains and flooding.

15,000 Crocodiles Escape South African Farm

The crocodiles sprung from the Rakwena Crocodile Farm, situated along a river on the South Africa-Botswana border, when the farm gates were opened due to rising flood waters.

Officials have sought assistance from experts to help sort out the crocodile crisis.

"Due to the number of crocodiles that have been washed away there is a need for expertise, people who have expertise to come and assist," Hangwani Mulaudzi Mulaudzi, a spokesman for the police in Limpopo Province, said Friday. "So we are just making appeals to anyone ... who has knowledge of catching crocodiles to come and assist."

A number of crocodiles have since been recaptured, but around 10,000 remain on the loose, scattered far and wide. Most of the recapturing efforts were taking place at night as the crocs are easier to hunt when it is dark because their eyes glow when hit with a beam of light.

People who live near the remote region, which sits on the Limpopo River, have been called to be careful around bodies of water. Many of the crocodiles are assumed to now be residing in the river.

Serious floods have hit the surrounding South African province of Limpopo province, leaving 10 people dead and causing many more to lose their homes.

The floods have also affected neighboring Mozambique, where tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes.