As many as 15,000 crocodiles escaped from a major tourist attraction in South Africa after heavy rains forced it to open water-control gates in order to avoid a storm surge caused by flooding in the nearby Limpopo River.
Many of the crocodiles have been recaptured at the Rakwena Crocodile Farm, however more than half remain loose, according to the local newspaper, the
Beeld.
"There used to be only a few crocodiles in the Limpopo River. Now there are a lot. We go to catch them as soon as farmers call us to inform us about crocodiles," Zane Langman, the son-in-law of the farm's owner, told the Beeld.
Despite their efforts, Langman told the newspaper that many of the crocodiles had already managed to escape into the dense bush scattered throughout the area as well as the Limpopo River, which stretches more than 1,000 miles.
"I heard there were crocodiles in Musina [about 120km away] on the school's rugby field," added Langman.
On Sunday, crocodile wranglers rescued friends from their flooded homes by boat, recalling, "When we reached them, the crocodiles were swimming around them. Praise the Lord, they were all alive."
To date, the floods have killed at least 10 people in the South African region, though no reports of crocodile-related deaths have been reported.
South African has employed its air force to rescue people in remote areas that were affected by the flooding, some of whom, according to the BBC, where completely cut off from the outside world as a result of the extreme weather.
In neighboring Mozambique, an estimated 55,000 people were evacuated from their homes due to flooding. According to the BBC, Mozambique has already reported several deaths as a result of the flooding.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21147928)
In 2000, flooding in Mozambique killed 700 peopple and made another half million homeless overnight.
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