From Kariega to Gqeberha and Jeffreys Bay, the rain didn’t bring only flooded roads and soggy socks — it apparently delivered a surprise reptilian guest.
Panic spread faster than the downpour as rumours of a crocodile on the loose did the rounds, only for the scaly suspect to turn out to be something far less dangerous: a very convincing piece of AI.
The video of a large crocodile exiting Kariega’s Willow Dam both horrified and entertained Nelson Mandela Bay residents after an apocalyptic night of torrential rain.
With record rains having pummelled the metro throughout Tuesday night — and the news of a giant man-eating croc having been shot in Mpumalanga earlier this week — it seemed far-fetched, but just possible.
The video, posted on the Sydenham-North End Updates Facebook page, shows the big reptile slithering out the water after dark, caught in the headlights of a car, with rain spots dappling the windscreen.
The video is captioned “Breaking news: came out of Willow Dam, Eastern Cape”. Willow Dam is a municipal facility.
To verify that the croc was indeed fake, as suspected, The Herald contacted the municipality’s ward 51 councillor Roelf Basson and wildlife rescue expert Arnold Slabbert. He responded with a laugh: “Nelson Mandela Bay is not crocodile territory. It’s too cold for crocs to survive in this part of the world.”
The remarkably lifelike croc popped up left, right and centre online through the course of Wednesday, including at a Kragga Kamma petrol station and alongside a vlei in Kamma Park.
One comment read: “The poor guy seems exhausted from all that walking.”
Gravity Play Park even used the phenomenon to advertise, noting that while Gqeberha had crocodiles, the jump centre had a dinosaur.
Crocodiles are kept in captivity as far south as the western region of the Eastern Cape and west to Cango Ranch in Oudtshoorn.
However, according to the SA National Biodiversity Institute, wild populations are restricted today in South Africa to the northeast part of the country, and they do not occur south of the Zinkwazi River in Kwazulu-Natal.
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