The beast of Bedminster! Police warn people away from the water after bus driver claims he saw six-foot CROCODILE lurking in Bristol Six-foot reptile was reportedly first spotted by a bus driver yesterday Nick Gargan, Cheif Constable of Avon and Somerset Police, raised alarm Wrote on Twitter that an officer was flagged down after reported sighting Said there was no need to stay indoors, but advised against water-skiing It is unknown whether the crocodile is still on the loose in the city Bristol Zoo confirmed the animal had not escaped from their enclosure By WILLS ROBINSON PUBLISHED: 11:08, 4 February 2014 | UPDATED: 16:04, 4 February 2014 1,981 shares 149View comments Police were put on high alert after a 6ft crocodile was reported to be on the run in Bristol city centre. The reptile was allegedly spotted by a bus driver underneath a bridge which runs over the River Avon in Bedminster. It was reportedly seen lurking in the river which is around 500ft away from a nursery and 1,000ft away from a secondary school. +7 Disappeared: Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Nick Gargan wrote on Twitter that officers cant find it. It is unknown whether the animal is still on the loose in the city +7 Safety: The senior officer then told a follower there was no need to stay indoors but advised her not to go water-skiing along the river +7 Map: The six-foot reptile was reportedly seen lurking in the river which is around 500ft away from a nursery and 1,000ft away from a secondary school It is unknown where the animal could have came from, but Bristol Zoo, which is two miles away, say no crocodile or alligator has escaped from any of its enclosures. More... Stunning images of Oktoberfest celebrations, baby orangutans and cattle racing make 2014 Sony World Photography Awards shortlist Photographer chooses perfect vantage points to snap king penguins waddling around on the Falkland Islands Nick Gargan, the Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police, first raised the alarm when he reported the sighting on Twitter. One of our officers was flagged down by a bus driver today, claiming to have seen a 6ft crocodile under Coronation Bridge. We cant find it, he wrote on the social media site yesterday. When asked by one Twitter user whether there was a crocodile on the loose, Mr Gargan replied: it may mean precisely that, madam. No need to stay indoors - but you may want to think twice before you go water-skiing. Today, officers in Fishponds posted a photo of the river on Twitter and said: We have seen the reports & searching Eastville Park and Snuff Mills in full riot gear as we speak. A mock account for the animal has since been started on the microblogging site. Chris the Croc - with the Twitter handle @TheBristolCroc - already has more than 900 followers. +7 Sighting: The reptile was reportedly lurking below Bedminster Bridge in the city centre +7 Raising the alarm: Nick Gargan wrote about the alleged sighting on Twitter. He advised people against water-skiing A leading reptile expert has revealed that a crocodile could survive in Bristols waterways but it would be a struggle. Dr Adam Britton, is an English zoologist who works in Darwin, Australia, home to some of the worlds largest saltwater crocodiles. The scientist, who studied for his pHD in Bristol, said a number of people in the UK do keep the deadly predators as pets, but while it could survive in the wild in Britain, it wouldnt last for long. He said: Assuming it is a genuine sighting it would almost certainly have to be an escaped or released pet. Quite a few people in the UK keep crocodilians. Lets say it was a crocodile. Crocodiles are resilient creatures, they can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, and can even survive brief periods of freezing temperatures. Some species like alligators can find shelter to stay warm when it freezes, or even remain underwater to act as a temperature buffer. The animal would be extremely lethargic under those conditions. Its a challenge for any crocodile to survive those conditions and its unlikely to last long. In terms of food, if its stressed it probably wont eat very much, especially not when its so cold, but if it were to survive into the warmer months it would take a variety of small mammals, fish, amphibians, even birds. I dont rate its chances though. Dr Britton revealed that if it was a six-foot crocodile, it would only be a few years old. But a six-foot caiman, which is a species of alligator, would be closer to full size. He added: Another possibility is that it was misidentified, in which case it could have been something like a monitor lizard or possibly even an iguana, which to the untrained eye could look a bit crocodile-like. Both monitors and iguanas can swim to add to the effect. Its also possible of course that it was nothing of the sort, but youll have to speak with the guy who spotted it to learn more about that. +7 At large: Staff at Bristol Zoo confirmed the animal had not escaped from one of their enclosures +7 Precedent: It is not the first time a crocodile has been spotted in the UK, with members of the public having potentially terrifying encounters in Newcastle upon Tyne and Richmond upon Thames Even though the animals are normally found in warmer climates such as Australia and Africa, it is not there has been an alleged siting of a crocodile or alligator in the UK. In 2000, people walking in a park in Newcastle upon Tyne reported spotting a large reptile. Visitors were convinced they saw a six foot alligator lurking beneath the water of a boating lake and police were called in to investigate. In 2008, there was a sighting of a creature in the Lake Morfa area of Swansea. And just over 12 months ago Richard Smith, a pensioner from Reading, claimed to have seen a crocodile swimming in the Thames. He said: I was cycling on my own and I saw what I thought was a bough of a tree with four stubby branches on it close in to the bank. As I got closer I saw it was a crocodile. It was about 4ft long. It had a 2ft tail and 2ft body. In 2011, police in Corydon, South London, were called in after they discovered that three-feet crocodiles were being kept as pets. A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said they would not be commenting any further on the issue. Read more: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2551459/The-beast-Bedminster-Police-warn-people-away-water-bus-driver-spots-six-foot-CROCODILE-lurking-Bristol.html#ixzz2sNGGX4RN Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Posted on: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 17:10:10 +0000
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