South African police said Friday that they will be joining in a massive hunt for 10,000 missing crocodiles. The crocodiles escaped during a storm, during which they may have been washed into one of the area’s largest rivers. Crocodile farmers, local residents, and police have already trapped thousands of reptiles, using plastic bands to tie their legs behind their backs, and then piled them into pickup trucks. The floodgates at the border with Botswana and Zimbabwe were open in the search, and police in Zimbabwe have issued strong warnings against swimming. Crocodile farms provide skins from the animal for the fashion industry.
