Cyprus wildlife wardens hunt crocodiles

Wildlife wardens in Cyprus are trying to track down crocodiles which could be on the loose at a popular tourist nature spot after they became too dangerous for their owner to handle.

Wildlife wardens in Cyprus are trying to track down crocodiles which could be on the loose at a popular tourist nature spot after they became too dangerous for their owner to handle.

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The reptiles are thought to have been smuggled into the east Mediterranean island, where crocodiles do not breed and their closest native cousin is the innocuous chameleon.

"The information we are trying to verify is that someone imported baby crocodiles as pets, and when he realised they were growing, he realised they were too much for him to handle so let them loose," a veterinary department official said.

The crocodiles, believed to number between two and four and to be small in size, were thought to be less than a year old. Adult crocodiles can be as long as 3 metres (around 10 feet).

Wildlife wardens were scouring a reservoir area for the crocodiles, which would not have started breeding, in the south-east of Cyprus.

The lake is popular among tourists and anglers, whose usual catch is freshwater African bass.