3 ARRESTED IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR CROCODILE THEFT

Three men have been arrested in south-Africa for stealing a 2.5-meter (8-feet) long Nile crocodile worth about $1,300 from a farm in the northwest province.

The men, who are all aged between 20 and 35, are believed to have used a pick-up truck to take the animal from a crocodile farm in the Hartbeesfontein area about 200 kilometres (124 miles) west of Johannesburg.

According to police spokeswoman Col. Adele Myburgh, the crocodile was found tied up with both rope and wire in an abandoned farmhouse and police are still investigating how they managed to get the large crocodile out of the farm, which had secure fencing.

Myburgh said the crocodile was badly dehydrated when it was found by a team of police officers and animal conservation officials.

Police said the crocodile has been returned to its rightful owner, after they released a photo of it swimming in its pool at the farm.

Myburgh said that the motive of the theft was still under investigation but crocodile body parts like the skin, nails and teeth are of high value and the men might have been planning to kill the animal to sell its parts.

While south-Africa has a problem with poaching, crocodiles are not normally targeted because of how dangerous they are.