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Crocodile in South Africa (archive image)
Photo: Ann & Steve Toon / imago images / Nature Picture Library
Encounters with a crocodile can be fatal for humans.
The reptiles, which mostly run up to their victims in rivers and then strike at lightning speed, are among the most dangerous animals in the world.
In addition to Australia and the USA, South Africa is also considered to be particularly affected by attacks.
Now a mass outbreak of numerous young crocodiles is causing a stir in the western Cape Province of the country.
The residents are concerned because runaway crocodiles are a rarity.
An unknown number of the up to one and a half meters tall reptiles had slipped through the chain link fence of a breeding station in Bonnivale, which is around 180 kilometers from Cape Town, said the spokeswoman for the responsible animal welfare authority Cape Nature, Petro van Rhyn, the German press agency .
She urged residents to stay away from the nearby Bree River for the time being.
"
Obviously, they're very, very dangerous - they are wild animals, even if they were raised in captivity,
"
the spokeswoman said.
Runaway crocodiles are rather rare
The authorities, together with residents and police officers, have started a large-scale search for the young animals.
So far, 27 crocodiles have been recaptured.
According to the authorities, the animals are 1.20 to 1.50 meters long.
In South Africa, residents are always startled by references to stray monkeys, leopards or hippos.
However, runaway crocodiles are rather rare.
It is also not unique that crocodiles manage to escape in South Africa.
In 2015, around 15,000 specimens had fled the Rakwena farm on the Botswana border, reported the BBC, among others.
At that time, however, heavy rains were the reason: the owner of the crocodile farm is said to have opened the gates of the breeding facility himself to prevent flooding.
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bam / dpa