Crocodiles escape from breeding farm in South Africa

An unknown number of young crocodiles are on the loose in South Africa's Western Cape province after escaping from a breeding farm on Wednesday, local media report.

Efforts to recapture the crocodiles, each measuring over a metre, are underway. 

Most are suspected to have found their way to the nearby Breede River.

"They present medium danger to people because they are farmed animals used to regular feeding and do not hunt for food. But they are wild and instinctive animals and, like all wild animals, always pose a danger to people," local government spokesman James-Brent Styan is quoted by Times Live.

About 20 crocodiles have been returned to the farm, according to a local official quoted by Eye Witness News.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: BBC