is there sa croc in the Thames?
‘Killer’ lurks in Thames
A CROCODILE sighting had people flocking to the Thames yesterday.
The monster was spotted prowling around posh Chelsea Harbour by a dog walker. Its head floating just above the water, the snarling reptile appeared ready to pounce at any time. I rushed to the scene armed with a large knife and my best Crocodile Dundee get-up. Owners of multi-million pound houseboats and yachts moored nearby appeared calm despite their unwanted visitor. But it quickly became clear that the sharp-toothed carnivore had disappeared. Crocodiles are reputed to be “100 times deadlier than sharks” – because they attack to kill and will eat anything. And dog walker Chris Davies, 46, said security in the area had called police to deal with the terrifying creature. However, it emerged that the croc was just a fake, ® perhaps placed in the water as a practical joke.
Harbour master Colin Bullock quickly established it was a “pond ornament”.
He said: “It was quite obviously a plastic item and I just got a net. There was no reason to panic. We have had dolphins and porpoises before, but nothing like this.”
The Thames was famously visited in 2006 by a five-metre long whale which got stranded and later died as it was being rescued.
But the RSPCA said that even though the croc was a fake it would be “very unusual” for one to make its home in London’s famous river, although not impossible.
An RSPCA spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately this sort of thing is not completely unheard of.
“We had a case this year where a caiman was found dumped in a reservoir in Bristol.
“It’s not illegal to own crocodiles as pets in the UK under licence, so although this one turned out to be a fake we would not be surprised to find one abandoned by its owner.
“This is a very strange case and we of course would discourage owners from abandoning pet crocodiles in this way.” In August, water officials discovered an alligator basking at Chew
Valley reservoir in Somerset.