Crocs on the loose after flood
25/08/2005 14:04  - (SA)  

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Beijing - Thirteen crocodiles were on the loose in northeastern China after a flood swept through their breeding farm, a state-run newspaper said on Thursday.

Heavy rain last week in Benxi, a city 800km northeast of Beijing, flooded the Shuidong Crocodile Park and 29 reptiles took advantage of the high water levels to make a run for it, the China Daily said.

So far, 15 have been recovered and one has been killed, the newspaper said.

The park has 31 crocodiles, and the biggest weighs 300kg, it said.

"They are doomed if we don't find them as soon as possible because the autumn cold is drawing near," the park's manager, Mai Yingpei, was quoted as saying.

The ideal temperature for the Siamese crocodiles is 17 degrees Celsius, the newspaper said, but the temperature in Benxi is between 12 degrees Celsius and 14 degrees Celsius.

The newspaper also cited a park keeper as saying that the crocodiles will become increasingly aggressive if they cannot find food in the wild.

A hotline has been set up to report sightings.

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