3-Metre Crocodile Causes Stir After Being Spotted in Vaal River
- A three-metre crocodile was spotted in the Vaal River, prompting authorities to issue a public safety warning
- Water Policing officer Charles van der Merwe confirmed a capture cage has been set up to trap the reptile
- The sighting follows two separate crocodile incidents in Gauteng and Limpopo earlier this year
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GAUTENG - A large crocodile has been spotted in the Vaal River, and authorities are urging residents and anyone using the river to keep their distance until the animal has been safely removed.
According to Jacaranda News, Charles van der Merwe of the Water Policing team confirmed that a capture cage has already been put in place in an attempt to catch the reptile. The crocodile is believed to be a West African slender-snouted crocodile, a species not known for aggression, but Van der Merwe stressed that its presence still poses a real danger to members of the public.
He urged people to stay out of the river entirely until the animal is captured and relocated to a safer environment. Anyone who spots the crocodile has been asked to report the sighting to Vanderbijlpark police or the Vaal River Rats.
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Limpopo residents alarmed by roaming crocodile
The Vaal River sighting is not an isolated incident. In May, residents in Marble Hall, Limpopo, raised concerns after a crocodile was filmed moving near the local sewage treatment plant and Leeuwfontein Crossing. Locals suggested that construction activity at the facility may have disturbed the reptiles and driven them out of their usual habitats. The sewage plant sits close to the Olifants River, a waterway well known for its crocodile population.
Crocodiles rescued from Springs backyard
Briefly News also reported that in May, authorities removed two Nile crocodiles from a residential property in Springs after receiving a tip-off that the animals were being kept without the required permits.
A joint operation involving Tshwane K9, the Gauteng Department of Environment, the Vereeniging Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit, Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital and the Springs SPCA obtained a search warrant from the Springs Magistrate's Court before entering the property.
Inside, officials found a black steel enclosure measuring roughly 5.6 metres by 1.8 metres, containing two crocodiles and a small blue splash pool. The crocodiles measured 1.48 metres and 1.7 metres respectively and had reportedly been living on the property for over two years. Two tortoises were also allegedly kept there. The property owner was absent during the search, but a manager allowed officials access to the premises.
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Source: Briefly News
