Crocodile found in Sofia's "Botunets" residential quarter (updated)

A crocodile was found in the capital's "Botunets" quarter, the Sofia Municipality said on August 6.

The reptile was found by employees of the district administration of "Kremikovtzi".

The mayor of the area has referred the matter to the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water - Sofia, as well as the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency.

The municipality also explained that the pool that the crocodile inhabited was built on part of a municipal property.

An inspection is currently being carried out, confirmed the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection - Sofia. There is a specialist herpetologist on site who will determine exactly what species the reptile is, whether it has documents and whether it is allowed to be kept at home, the department explained.

It was expected that by the end of the day the crocodile would be taken to the capital's zoo.

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The two-metre long Nile crocodile lives in a pit 100 metres away from a block of flats in Sofia's "Botunets" residential quarter. The crocodile has been kept in a pit for weeks and is tied to prevent it from escaping.

There was tension in the evening as the people keeping the reptile refused to let police and Metropolitan Zoo officials take it away.

Residents of "Botunets" complained to the capital's eco-inspectorate several weeks ago, but the team came to the spot only today, after a signal from the mayor of the Kremikovtzi borough.

Last week Daniela was coming home and saw the crocodile, which the residents of Botunets have been talking about for almost a month.

"I was just about to cross the road and the crocodile was very close to where people are - by the sidewalk. So from here to the entrance, I got at the speed of a fighter jet. There were two elderly near the entrance and they said a signal had been filed. Other people had alerted the authorities before," Daniela said.

"The law provides for a deadline for responding to signals and we have respected it at this point," said Radoslava Stoyanova, a senior expert at the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection in Sofia.

Accidentally or not, the eco-inspectorate officials arrived on the spot hours after the mayor of Kremikovtzi alerted the autthorotoes. She saw it by chance while checking a complaint about illegal construction and logging.

The crocodile was found 2 - 3 weeks ago on the spot, on a tip-off. At that date the property had a fence. It's not like it is now. It is now unfenced. The fence has been removed and the crocodile lives like that. It is suspected that the crocodile is not owned by the person who claims to own it and that it was stolen during the pandemic.

BNT: Is the crocodile yours?

Viktor Mihailov: Yes, I would say so, yes!

BNT: You would say so or is it yours?

Viktor Mihailov: I would, yes, I am a circus organiser. We've been looking after it here for a month and a half. Do I have documents? Well, you can ask the people from RIEW if I have documents. You're not the right person to show the documents to.

"We also want documents for the ownership of the land and for the ownership of the animal itself, because the documents that have been presented to us are not sufficient."

The council and the man who claims to own the reptile are also arguing over the ownership of the land on which the pit was dug. Experts say the conditions in which the Nile crocodile is kept are poor.

"Neither the pond in which it is kept meets the requirements, nor the area, nor is it secured. The animal should be restricted in other ways from leaving the area, but not by tying it," said Georgi Krastev of the capital's zoo.

"There is a hole dug inside and a pool. What is suitable for a crocodile? It is ok as long as it has water," said Viktor Mihailov.

The crocodile will live in the capital's zoo until it is established who its owner is and whether there are suitable conditions for its keeping.