Story By: Pol F, Sub-Editor: Joe Golder, Agency: Newsflash

A crocodile kept in captivity in inhumane conditions in a tiny enclosure has been rescued after 25 years of captivity.

The reptile was rescued by police officers and personnel from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) in the municipality of Aguilares in the San Salvador department, north of San Salvador city, on the 25 of September.

The crocodile was kept in captivity for 25 years.

The family keeping it called the authorities to hand over their huge pet when it was clear it could no longer even fit in its pond.

It is an American male crocodile, of 2.51 metres (8,23 feet) in length and weighing approximately 300 lbs.

According to police information, the specimen is three meters tall and remained in a house where the managers after several decades decided to deliver it.

The police said that “the rescue of the crocodile occurred after a call and voluntary surrender” received and coordinated by “our Environment Division”.

After an evaluation by a team of veterinarians, they placed an identification chip on it and marked it, removing a scale from its tail, for monitoring it once in the wild.

After these procedures from the environmental team, it will be released in a protected natural area.

In November 2019, another specimen was rescued after spending 14 years as a pet of a family residing in the Satelite neighbourhood, in San Salvador.

El Salvador authorities ask people not to keep wild animals home, as reported in the official press release.

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