New claims of crocodile sightings at Kourris Dam

REPORTS of crocodile sightings at Limassol’s Kourris Dam have, once again, begun to surface. Whether the presence of crocodiles just outside town is another urban legend or the product of illegal pet abandonment is presently part of an investigation by the Fisheries Department.

“We are not excluding the possibility that these are the same reptiles that had alerted relevant departments three years ago,” said Myroulla Hadjichristodoulou, Senior Officer at the Fisheries Department.

Last week, visitors to the Kourris Dam claim they saw a metre-long crocodile and alerted the Fisheries Department. It is believed that the crocodile may be one of the three baby crocodiles that were abandoned at the dam three years ago. The crocodiles were initially imported from Egypt to keep as pets, but their owners changed their minds and left them at the dam. At that point, the reptiles were 15cm long, but experts believe that they have been feeding on fish from the dam and could have grown considerably by now.

The Fisheries Department sent officers on site to search for the crocodiles, but nothing was found. “This does not mean that the information received was false and investigations will continue so that necessary measures can be taken,” said Hadjichristodoulou.

Crocodile sightings at Kourris had also been reported in June 2005. At the time, the reports brought about a co-ordinated investigation by the police and the Fisheries Department and even became the subject of a meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture. Despite these efforts, the crocodiles have not been captured, despite occasional reports by members of the public that they have seen the reptiles in the area.

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