Three men have been arrested in South Africa after a large Nile crocodile worth hundreds of dollars was stolen.
Police said the 2.5-metre reptile — estimated to be worth $1,300 — was taken from a crocodile farm in the Hartbeesfontein area in the country's North West province.
Those arrested were aged 20 to 35.
They are believed to have used a pickup truck to take the crocodile from a farm about 200km west of Johannesburg, AP reported.
The animal was found tied up with rope and wire and covered with tree branches in an abandoned farmhouse.
The men, who were arrested last week, were due to appear in court on Monday.
Police spokeswoman Adele Myburgh said officers were investigating how the heavy crocodile had been removed from the farm.
“How did they slip this animal out?" she said. “It's not a baby crocodile by any means.”
Ms Myburgh said the crocodile was badly dehydrated when it was found by a team of police officers and animal conservation officials.
The crocodile has been “returned to its rightful owner”, police said. They released a photo of it swimming in its pool at the farm.
While South Africa has a problem with poaching, crocodiles are not usually targeted because of how dangerous they can be.
Mr Myburgh said the motive was still under investigation but crocodile body parts such as the skin, nails and teeth do have value and those responsible might have been planning to kill the animal to sell those parts.
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