It’s not every day you discover a crocodile in your backyard! That is exactly what happened to a resident in Rooty Hill, west of Sydney, yesterday.

The surprised resident restrained the young crocodile under a laundry basket, before calling the NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) for help and advice. The crocodile was then collected by WIRES before being delivered to the Australian Reptile Park.

Reptiles Supervisor Julie Mendezona believes he could be a pet that has run away. She said; “there are reptile licenses that allow people to keep crocodiles in some states of Australia, but not as pets. Because he was found in a suburban backyard, we believe it’s probably an escaped illegal pet, but will wait a couple of days to see if anyone comes forward to claim him. We’ll make a decision on his future then. It’s possible that we may keep him here at the Reptile Park to educate visitors, especially children, about the species.”

Chainsaw the freshwater crocodile is now the newest resident at the Australian Reptile Park. He is 50cm long, and could grow to over two meters long when fully grown.