The Development Organization of Crete has placed several traps in order to capture “Sifis”, the crocodile found in the region of Rethymno, on the Greek island of Crete last week.
Rethymno Mayor Giorgis Marinakis said that efforts are made to recapture the reptile alive. Herpetologist Petros Liberakis arrived on the island to monitor today’s major operation to capture the crocodile.
The popularity of the Cretan crocodile is on the rise, with more and more fans visiting his Facebook page.
The herpetologist has ordered thermal sensors and other traps to be used for the capture. Local officials have described the undertaking as “unprecedented and highly sensitive.”
Traps have been placed near the riverbed and the area has been banned from any activity, in order to avoid any movement that might upset the crocodile.
If the crocodile is caught, it will first be transferred to a special hospital, in collaboration with the Hellenic Centre of Marine Research (HCMR) and the Museum of Natural History, and then most probably to Attica Zoological Park, in the area of Spata, near Athens.
“Crocodiles cannot survive and reproduce in Crete. A tropical-looking view is one thing and tropical conditions are quite another,” Marinakis said.
The mayor added that the crocodile had most likely been abandoned by a so-called “animal-lover” once he or she became tired of it and dismissed the concerns of those fearing the rise of a “crocodile colony” in Cretan rivers.
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