IAFRICA (Johannesburg, S Africa) 19 September 03 Look up, in the tree, it's a croc!
Animal protection officers investigating what they thought was a crank call found two live baby crocodiles perched in a tree in a Johannesburg suburb, a spokesperson for the organisation said on Thursday.
"We received a call last Tuesday from a person who told us that there were two crocodiles in a tree and pleaded with us not to hang up," said Charlotte Levin, of the Sandton Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
"We decided to investigate the call and on arrival, our officers spotted two crocodiles in a tree north of the city centre," she told AFP.
Levin said the two reptiles, who were about a year old and around 50 centimetres long were identified as Nile crocodiles, she said, which are found in South Africa's northern and eastern rivers.
They were badly dehydrated and in a serious condition.
"They were probably out in the street for quite some time," Nicci Wright, manager at the FreeMe Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre told the Johannesburg-based The Citizen newspaper.
The pair later died, despite attempts to save them, the paper said.
"We suspect the two animals fell victim to the lucrative trade in wild animals and were dumped for unknown reasons," Wright said.
She added that that owning or selling indigenous reptiles without the necessary permit was illegal.
Look up, in the tree, it's a croc!