A crocodile was apparently enjoying its sunbathing alongside a road in central Vietnam on Friday morning when it was detected by passers-by, and was eventually killed despite a desperate escape attempt.
Le Ngoc Van said he saw the reptile lying on the pavement near a bridge when he was traveling on the National Highway No.1A in Quang Nam Province at around 9:00 a.m.
As soon as Van stopped his motorbike, the crocodile jumped into the water under the bridge, the 40-year-old recalled.
The man then called for help from four to five locals, who eventually managed to kill the reptile by electrocution 30 minutes later.
The crocodile is more than 1.5 meters long and weighs 30kg.
The rare catch attracted the attention of hundreds of curious passers-by.
Van sold the crocodile to one of the passers-by for more than VND1 million (US$47).
What worries local residents is why the reptile was found in an area where no crocodile farms exist. They too are concerned if there will be any other such animal nearby.
But some believe the crocodile must have hit the ground from a car that traveled past the National Highway No.1A, Vietnam’s cross-country highway.
In January 2014, a resident in Cu Chi district on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City also caught a 20kg crocodile when he was cutting grass near a local canal. There are several crocodile farms in the district and the reptile might have escaped from one of those.
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