A 12-year-old boy and his friends discovered a juvenile crocodile in Ironbark Creek, Newcastle, Australia, a region 2,000km south of its natural habitat.
Initially, the boy’s mother and authorities were sceptical of the sighting, but photographic evidence confirmed the presence of the reptile.
Police verified the crocodile’s presence, leading to the Australian Reptile Park team capturing the metre-long Australian freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus Johnstoni) on Sunday night.
The crocodile, which is healthy, is currently being housed at the Australian Reptile Park, awaiting a decision on its permanent placement.
Experts suspect the crocodile was an illegally kept pet that was released into the wild, and its capture was crucial as it would not have survived the upcoming winter.
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