Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash

Police were called by worried passersby who had spotted a ‘crocodile’ swimming in a river in Germany but the responding officers discovered it was actually a plastic toy.

The incident took place in Jever, the capital of the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany, when the police officers were called out after the ‘crocodile’ was spotted in a murky river at around 8am on Tuesday morning (14th July).

German newspaper Tag24 mused that someone had probably put the ‘crocodile’ in the river as a joke.

The police shared a picture of the ‘dangerous predator’ with its head just above the surface of the water.

Another picture shows a ‘specimen’ that the police of the town of Jork just outside Hamburg fished out of a river a few days ago. The rubber croc was reportedly 40 centimetres (15.7 inches) long and had been spotted ‘swimming’ on the surface of the water among some plants.

The Jork cops also suspect a prankster and have detained the ‘predator’ which is currently being housed in the lost property box at their police station. A police spokesman was quoted in Tag24 as saying: “I think somebody was having fun there.”

Jever, where the crocodile was found, is usually associated with a major beer brand produced there, although on this occasion the crocodile sighting was not inspired by somebody drinking too much beer.

The Frisian Brewhouse was built in 1848 and became a well-known brand around 1900 before adopting its hometown’s name in 1934. The brewhouse is currently the largest building in Jever and produces mostly pilsener-style beers.

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