Crocodiles On The Loose in South African River
Nile Crocodile keeping an eye on things (Photo: Rakwena Crocodile Farm)
For our Geo Quiz, try to name not the longest, but the second longest African river that empties into the Indian Ocean.
The Zambezi is the longest. The one-thousand mile river we’re looking for zig zags through parts of South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.
And it’s seriously flooded which has forced evacuations and caused all sorts of problems.
The answer is the Limpopo River. It borders Kruger National Park in South Africa, and is formed by the confluence of the Marico River and the Crocodile River.
Flooding on the Limpopo River has inundated many low lying farms in the northern Limpopo Province including the Rakwena Crocodile Farm.
The rising floodwaters threatened to crush the crocodiles in their pens so the owners were “forced” to release them. An estimated 15-18 thousand crocodiles escaped into the Limpopo River. The owners are now attempting to recapture the crocs but it’s no easy chore. One croc reportedly turned up on a local rugby pitch 75 miles away. Some others were spotted circling a family that had fled to the roof of their flooded house while
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.