Call The Crocodile Hunter!

Or not. Apparently South African authorities are searching for at least two crocodiles reported South of Johannesburg. The animals are not native to the area, so speculation is that they escaped from a zoo or from farms in the area. But the police don't want people hunting them, either.

Wild crocodiles are not found naturally in the region, leading to speculation that the reptiles have escaped from farms or zoos.

"We are concerned that people are shooting crocodiles," said Leon Lotter, Acting Director for Nature Conservation, the wildlife authority for Gauteng province.

An official is storing a metre-long crocodile in her home refrigerator which was believed to have been shot. Police hope to lay a charge of unlawful hunting next week against at least one local resident.

Lotter said wildlife officers would try and lure the reptiles with traps baited with rotten meat.

"Since the crocodiles don't occur there naturally, the idea is for us to catch them and take them back to a crocodile farm or a zoo," he said.

Well, we here at Blue Crab Boulevard would just like to warn the authorities in South Africa. While you are trying your traps baited with rotten meat, be sure you stay away from any newspapers you might see lying about. Don't say we didn't warn you.