Brief by Central Staff
Wildlife – November 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine
Given the promotional talents of the reptile farm near Mosca, just about everybody knows there are alligators in the San Luis Valley. And now a crocodile has been found in the Rio Grande — but nowhere near here.
Mexican fishermen caught the 7.5-foot crocodile on Oct. 8 in the river near Nuevo Laredo, which sits across the Rio Grande from Laredo, Texas. The anglers, who caught it on a fish line, put the 130-pound reptile in the back of a pickup and took it to the fire department, which then turned it over to a local animal shelter.
Crocodiles do not naturally inhabit the Rio Grande, so authorities speculate it may have been bought by someone in the area as a pet, then released into the river after it grew past housepet status.
Immigration authorities have not weighed in on whether the croc entered Mexico legally or not.
