VietNamNet Bridge – Burglars took away 125 crocodiles from a farm in Long Hai Town, Long Dien District, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province within only three hours.

Only several crocodiles left in the farm.

The theft occurred at the crocodile farm of Mr. Bui Trung Thu, a HCM City businessman.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duy Anh, 31, technical manager of the farm who is also responsible for taking care of the crocodiles, on the evening of July 11, like other days, after feeding the crocodiles, he walked around the farm to check before going to bed.

At around 2 am, hearing dogs barking, he woke up and walking around the house with a flashlight but did not find anything strange. Thinking that the dogs were struck by vegetable sellers, he returned to the bed.

The next morning, when he and his wife went to the lake to feed the crocodiles, they only saw several crocodiles on the shore. They checked the farm and found out that the wire fence of over 5m high was cut. They also discovered pieces of cloth wires around the fence.

According to Tuyen, the thieves might take advantage of the time when crocodiles slept in the lake, to use electricity to make the animals “faint” and to float on the surface to catch them.

According to preliminary investigation by police in Long Hai town, the thieves stole over 100 crocodiles of over 10kg and 25 crocodiles of over 20kg. The total damage caused by the theft is up to VND250 million ($12,000).

According to some people who live near the farm, they saw a small truck near the farm in the late afternoon of the day before the theft occurred but they thought the truck carried feed to the farm.

The police are investigating the case.

Le Ha