Costa Rican police on Tuesday night captured a small crocodile in San Jerónimo de Orotina, 70 kilometers west of the capital, after it had appeared in the area about a week ago and grown accustomed to sunbathing along a path that kids use to walk to school.
To protect the kids, police decided – aptly – to relocate the reptile. On Tuesday, when the crocodile returned to a small creek after sunbathing, police officers using a net managed to captured it. On Wednesday morning, they released it in the nearby Tárcoles River.
This is the first-ever sighting of a crocodile in San Jerónimo de Orotina. Police officers involved in the croc’s capture also took part in recent relocations in Quepos, Puntarenas and Jacó.
Crocodile attacks and the relocation of aggressive crocodiles has become more common in Costa Rica in the last year. Just last week, a wildlife expert was mauled while teaching Coast Guard officials how to capture crocodiles.
Habitat destruction and the expansion of human settlements has led many crocs to flee their territories in search of new homes, say crocodile experts.
To read more about the issues Costa Rica is facing with its crocodile population see: Costa Rica’s crocodile conundrum
