The rainstorm came, the crocodiles ran away, and the local response: Try not to go out...

On September 11, a video circulated online said that more than 70 crocodiles escaped from a crocodile farm in Maoming City, Guangdong Province.

The video shows that several places in the flood are circled in red, and the caption says that crocodiles appeared beside the Pengcuntang Lake Road. They were crocodiles that escaped from a nearby breeding farm. Village representatives are asked to notify nearby villagers to stay away from the water, prohibit fishing in the water, and report any special situations in a timely manner.

On September 12, staff from the Emergency Management Bureau of Maonan District, Maoming City, Guangdong Province told a reporter from China News Weekly that an crocodile had indeed escaped and that the Emergency Management Bureau had sent people to the scene to assist local authorities in the capture effort. They were unable to disclose more details about the specific capture.

1. Heavy rain hits, crocodiles escape

Some villagers in Maoming make a living by raising fish, poultry and livestock. Recently, Maoming was hit by heavy rain, which caused great property losses in the local rural areas of Maoming. A large number of fish ponds and farms were flooded, including farms that raise crocodiles.

An crocodile breeding cooperative in Gaozhou City, Maoming, who was interviewed by China News Weekly, said that they have more than 10,000 crocodiles and the breeding area originally used a "3-meter-high wall + wire mesh" to ensure safety. He speculated that the heavy rain caused the flood to overflow the wall, and the wire mesh used for daily protection was not well maintained and did not work, causing the crocodiles to escape.

2. How much do you know about crocodile breeding?

As early as August 2003, the State Forestry Administration released the first list of 54 terrestrial wild animals with mature domestication technology and commercial utilization. The only three crocodile species allowed for commercial domestication and breeding are the saltwater crocodile, Siamese crocodile and Nile crocodile .

It is understood that crocodiles are mainly farmed in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan, and the largest crocodile breeding base in China is in Maoming, Guangdong. Since the winter in the north is relatively cold and not suitable for crocodiles to survive the winter, there are few individuals or companies that breed crocodiles on a large scale .

The head of the aforementioned crocodile breeding cooperative said that the crocodile species they breed is Siamese crocodile, also known as Thai crocodile , and its meat and leather are highly recognized in the market. An adult male crocodile is more than 3 meters long and weighs up to 300 kilograms. Females are smaller than males, with an adult female body length of about 2 meters and a weight of about 100 kilograms.

3. Professionals’ “Three Steps” to Catching Alligators

According to Metropolis Express, on September 11, local authorities used sonar equipment to search for eight crocodiles and successfully captured them. The eight crocodiles included seven adults and one juvenile. The adult crocodiles generally weighed about 150 kilograms and were more than two meters long. The crocodiles that have escaped so far all came from the same breeding farm, and most of the captured crocodiles were shot dead.

In this regard, Hu Chengli, head of the Guangdong Province Aquatic Wildlife Rescue Science Popularization Base and director of the Zhongshan Diequan Ecological Research Institute, told China Newsweek that she has more than 30 years of experience in crocodile breeding and rescue. In the past few days, she has also received calls for help from some local residents in Maoming who have found crocodiles.

Hu Chengli said that it takes three steps for professionals to capture crocodiles.

"First, you need to prepare a fishing net or a large net, and catch the crocodile as soon as you find it. Then an adult male needs to ride on the crocodile's back and step on the crocodile's eyes as quickly as possible to prevent it from opening its mouth. Finally, use a cable tie or other tool to quickly wrap its mouth. Once the crocodile's mouth is wrapped, it can be declared to be non-aggressive."

Hu Chengli suggested that if you encounter deep water or a deep pool, do not rush into the deep water to confront the crocodile, but wait for it to come ashore and then catch it on the shore. "If you catch the crocodile in time, have great courage, and step on its eyes accurately, it is possible to subdue the crocodile in the water and catch it, but it is not recommended for villagers with no experience to act rashly."

"Generally speaking, crocodile breeding companies will have some emergency supplies and equipment. After the crocodile escapes, it is best to use professionals to capture it as much as possible. They have more experience in capturing and subduing crocodiles."

3. What should non-professionals do? Follow instructions! Try not to go out! Crocodiles are not gentle white moonlight!

Crocodiles are superb hunters. In 1986, Michael Alan Taylor, a scholar at the Leicestershire Museum in the United Kingdom, made a comprehensive summary of the behavior of crocodiles when they hunt fiercely:

When encountering smaller prey , such as snails, fish, turtles, frogs, etc., many crocodiles will bite the prey with their toothy, "pincer"-like jaws and swallow it whole . Generally, crocodiles can crack turtle shells and bones with relative ease .

An American alligator preys on a bullfrog in Woodruff Lake, USA. (Photo by Andrea Westmoreland)

If the prey is larger , such as a gazelle, the crocodile will bite the prey and then drag it to the surface of the water, shaking it left and right on the water, using its powerful muscle strength to shake the prey into smaller, more manageable "pieces" . This method is also called "shake feeding".

A Nile crocodile shakes a gazelle frantically, breaking it in half (Photo by Jeffrey Wu)

If the prey is too large , such as wildebeests, zebras and other large prey, crocodiles will use the well-known " death roll", using the twisting force of the body and the jaws to tear off the flesh of the large prey . This method is called "twist feeding" and is extremely powerful.

According to a video report from the Beijing News, the Emergency Management Bureau of Maonan District, Maoming City is using sonar equipment to search for escaped crocodiles. Some have been caught, but due to the difficulty in catching crocodiles due to the deep water, the Emergency Management Bureau of Maonan District recommends that nearby residents stay at home as much as possible.

Comprehensive sources: China News Weekly, Metropolis Express, China News Network, Beijing News, Tadpole Music