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Young World
Taggen taken
COMPILED BY NIMI KURIAN
Photo: AFP
A black dwarf caiman crocodilE:. At the Bergen aquarium.
A thief walked unnoticed out of a Norwegian aquarium carrying a crocodile and now risks losing a finger or two, the head of the aquarium said. “I think whoever did this knew what they were doing,” Bergen aquarium director Kees Oscar Ekeli told Reuters, suggesting the young crocodile was smuggled out in a bag during the busiest hours of the day. The stolen reptile, named “Taggen” (Spike), is a long smooth-fronted caiman also known as Schneider’s dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus). Taggen eats “a good mix of fish and meat”. “It has a solid bite. Considering it is not bigger than it is, you could lose a few fingers, but no vital organs,” Ekeli said. It is normally found in much warmer habitats in South America and is one of the world’s smallest species of crocodile. Ekeli feared that the four-year-old would have poor chances of surviving outside its habitat in the aquarium, and said it would probably die from stress. “We have offered a reward of 25,000 Norwegian crowns (2,500 pounds) to anyone who can give us a tip that leads to finding the crocodile,” Ekeli said.
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