75 crocodiles escape from Chinese breeding farm during flood – with villagers told to hide in their homes
- 75 crocodiles have escaped from their breeding farm in southern China
- 69 adults and six babies made a break for it when their lake overflowed
- Only eight have been captured so far and the rest are still at large
Typhoon Haikui ripped through south Asia last week, affecting China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan.
As it begins to subside, the extreme weather has down been downgraded to a tropical storm responsible for landslides and heavy flooding.
Although the heavy rain in southern China has slowed down and it’s believed the worst could be over, there is a new danger hiding in the murky floodwaters.
According to Chinese authorities, 75 crocodiles have escaped from their breeding farm in Maoming, Guangdong province – 69 adults and six babies.
They made their break for it when their lake overflowed due to flooding caused by Typhoon Haikui, following a rainstorm in the area over the weekend.
75 crocodiles have escaped from their breeding farm in Maoming, Guangdong province – 69 adults and six babies
Villagers close by have been told to stay home, especially away from rivers and lakes, as most of the crocodiles are still at large
Chinese state media has reported that only eight have been found so far.
Some of those that were found have been recaptured, while others have been shot or electrocuted ‘for safety reasons’, the BBC reported.
The state-run newspaper, Dazhong Daily, said that the district emergency management bureau said that authorities are ‘trying to keep things under control, but the number of escaped crocodiles is a bit too many.’
There are no casualties and emergency services have been using sonar equipment to locate the missing crocs.
Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed the crocs swimming in the floodwater, with some videos showing clear signs reading ‘To Maoming,’ reports NBC News.
Maoming has been battered by heavy rainfall within the last two weeks, as extreme weather has caused chaos across southern China.
Clips show rescuers evacuating people to safety from the flooding, with other videos reportedly show members of the emergency force wearing high-vis vests as they embark on a search for the reptiles.
Maoming has been battered by heavy rainfall within the last two weeks, as typhoons have caused chaos across southern China
Crocodile meat is a delicacy in Maoming, and the province of Guangdong is home to a lot of large farms.
The escaped crocodiles are reportedly Siamese crocodiles, which are freshwater crocodiles native to Asia.
The creatures measure roughly three meters long and are considered to be medium-sized.
The Crocodiles of the World website says that they are critically endangered there are less than 1,000 mature adults left in the wild.
