Hunters had recovered 72 out of hundreds of crocodiles which escaped from a farm in the southern province of Ca Mau Province as of this morning (October 15),.
The crocodiles escaped from the Quoc Viet Company farm on Friday after the farm’s fence collapsed. The company breeds 580 crocodiles for seafood export.
Phan Hung Dung from the Ca Mau Forest Management Agency said the fence was solid, but weak ground caused the collapsed. To date, the exact number of escaped crocodiles has not yet been determined.
Some students and a security guard noticed 20 of them in the grounds of nearby Kim Dong Primary School’s 1,000 square-metre fish pond. The pond has round 5,000 tra fish.
A corrugated iron fence has been built around the school and workers are hunting for the crocodiles. It has also hired some hunters from nearby Bac Lieu Province.
School temporarily closed
Le Van Hai from the Ca Mau Forest Management said, “I have requested the company to count the crocodiles left in the farm to define how many have escaped. However, they haven’t managed to conduct the count yet as the crocodiles become particularly fierce once the water levels drop.”
Truong My Hanh, a local resident, said, “I hope that the missing crocodiles are caught soon as they pose a real risk to local children.”
To Van Canh, Headmaster of Kim Dong Primary School, said to ensure the safety, the school had been closed on October 15.
Locals have seen dozens of crocodiles in the school pond.
According to Phan Hung Dung from the Ca Mau Forest Management Agency, "The farm is quite a way from any canals, so the crocodiles will only stay in neighbouring ponds and lakes. We are trying to catch all crocodiles.”
A crocodile found at Kim Dong Primary School on the afternoon of October 14
Using electricity to seek crocodiles
Local people watching the hunting
A captured crocodile
Quoc Viet Farm