'As long as you have meat, blood - they will attack you' - More than 100 crocs on the loose in Mpumalanga
More than 100 crocodiles are still on the loose after they escaped from a breeding project on Nola Farm in Hazyview.
The bask escaped after persistent rains caused their enclosure to collapse, giving way to a total of 160 crocodiles.
Since then, only 52 have been caught and are accounted for.
Compliance monitoring manager at the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), April Lukhele, says they’re working around the clock to find the missing reptiles.
“Due to the heavy rain the facility collapsed because there was lots of water around the facility, so the wall collapsed. That’s how the animals collapsed from the facility,” says Lukhele.
“We are continuing. Cages to catch have been set by our game management team who are responsible for capturing them. Only the first have been caught but nothing is entering the cage up to so far.
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He warns the crocodiles are dangerous and pose a risk to the nearby community.
“They can’t differentiate between a person and an animal. As long as you have meat, you have blood – they will attack you.”
“I just want to warn the people around Hazyview and those neighbouring areas because the river nearest to the facility is the Sand River, it’s a tributary to the Sabie River so people must be aware and they must report if they sight to the crocodiles to the MTPA,” he adds.
Lukhele further confirmed the breeding camp is above board.
“It is privately owned but it’s permitted by Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency. It’s not the only breeding project for crocodiles, it’s just an unforeseen circumstance that caused the escape of the crocodile there.”
The permit for the breeding programme will be revoked until the facility is rebuilt.
Listen to April Lukhele below:
