Get out of there – and make it snappy! Couple wake up to find 10ft crocodile lurking at the bottom of their swimming pool in South Africa
- Jacob and Angel Breytenbach, from South Africa, found the crocodile in pool
- They called a team of animal specialists to help remove the reptile from garden
- Animal checked by Dept of Nature Conservation and released to natural habitat
A couple could not believe their eyes when they woke up to discover a crocodile in their swimming pool.
Jacob Breytenbach and his wife Angel, from Moedwil, in the north west province of South Africa, had been checking their security cameras before letting their pets out when they spotted the 10ft reptile lurking at the bottom of their pool.
The couple called a team of animal specialists to help remove the creature from their property and it was examined by the Department of Nature Conservation before being released back into its natural habitat.
Footage captured by Mr Breytenbach shows the animal rescue team try to place rope around the reptile’s mouth as it remains stationary at the bottom of the pool.
A team of animal specialists try to remove the crocodile after it was found by Jacob and Angel Breytenbach at their home in Moedwil, South Africa
Members of staff try to loop the rope around the crocodile’s mouth and remove it from the pool
As the team try to get the rope around its mouth, Mrs Breytenbach shouts: ‘Jump on its teeth! Straight on its back, there you go. I’m Australian I’ve seen it done before.’
The team finally loop the rope around the reptile when it snaps its jaws and begins to thrash frantically in the water.
They manage to heave it out of the pool and onto a patch of grass where it continues to roll around, as members of the team shout: ‘It’s a boy!’
Moments later, one of the team members places a white cloth over the crocodile’s eyes and Mrs Breytenbach jokes: ‘Leave it there, I’ll move.’
As the team try to keep the animal calm, Mrs Breytenbach continues: ‘I don’t want to go in the pool in case it goes in. Only in South Africa.’
Mrs Breytenbach said that she had been about to feed her animals at 4.30am on January 29 when she spotted ‘something large floating’ in her pool and called for assistance.
She told Storyful: ‘I must applaud everyone for their awesome handling of the situation.’
The reptile begins to thrash and roll around as a member of the team pulls it out of the water
A group of men pull the crocodile out of the swimming pool and onto a patch of nearby grass
A white cloth is placed over the crocodile’s eyes and it begins to calm down on the grass
The homeowner later took to Facebook to share footage of the team’s efforts with the caption: ‘This morning I decided to check my cameras before going out to let the animals out and this happened, only in South Africa hey.’
Following the scenes, the Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation, who helped remove the crocodile from the swimming pool, said the reptile could have come from a nearby river due to the heavy rains brought in by Cyclone Eloise.
In a post on Facebook they wrote: ‘Various animals have been displaced and shown up in strange places due to the heavy rains brought in by Cyclone Eloise. It is believed that this crocodile came from a nearby river.
‘The Crocodile was safely removed and placed in a safe location.
‘He will be checked out by the Dept of Nature Conservation then released back into its natural habitat.’