The 1.4m carcass of a crocodile has been found in a stream at a golf course in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
A number of concerned golfers called animal welfare charity Scottish SPCA to report the crocodile at Carnwath Golf Course.
Inspectors arrived to find a crocodile that had been partially stuffed, and apparently abandoned by its owner. The carcass was then taken to the National Museum of Scotland, where it was identified as a West African Dwarf Crocodile.
Scottish SPCA Inspector Heather Lawson said:
“I first thought it was a prank when I received a call saying there had been sightings of a crocodile but when I investigated I found it was real.
“The crocodile was dead and oddly had tape wrapped around its head. It seems someone has attempted to stuff the crocodile as it had no insides and there was straw stuck in its legs.
“We found it on 19 May and we’ve been waiting for identification. We now know it was a West African Dwarf Crocodile and it’s a complete mystery how it got there.
“However, we don’t know how old it was or how it came to die.
“These are protected animals and anyone who owns one in this country would need to have a Dangerous Wild Animal license.
“We are interested in finding out the circumstances and are appealing to anyone with information to contact us.”
Anyone with information about the crocodile is being urged to contact our animal helpline on 03000 999 999.
Can you help us solve the mystery of the dead stuffed crocodile? http://t.co/QGTr2ogKl5 pic.twitter.com/SQzD4ctUUe
— SCOTTISH SPCA (@ScottishSPCA) June 6, 2014
