HQ – A crocodile about 2.5 meters (8 feet) long appeared this Monday on Piuta beach, less than two kilometers from the center of the city of Limón, near a house.
Fire Department personnel received an alert about the sighting and attended the scene. However, when four firefighters tried to capture it, the reptile escaped and returned to the sea.
“We are awaiting for a new sighting that will allow us to make a new attempt to capture it and put it in a safe place without altering its habitat,” said Mauricio Castro, Limón Fire Chief.
There are possibilities of finding crocodiles in all coastal areas of Costa Rica. Crocodile populations have been recovering over the years, after being in danger of extinction due to hunting for the extraction of their skin. Therefore, it is logical that sightings are now more frequent.
“Until 1960, crocodile populations were low in Costa Rica, but as this species was introduced into national legislation and international conservation treaties, their numbers began to recover and re-colonized places where they were not seen, according to Iván Murillo, geographer of the National University (UNA).