Westmoreland — Wednesday’s discovery and eventual capture of a crocodile in Russia, one of the communities in the Westmoreland capital of Savanna-la-Mar, has plunged the entire community into fear that other reptiles might be lurking in the nearby mangroves, to prey on small children.

The discovery of the crocodile, which the residents estimated to be between seven and eight feet long, was made by a group of children who were playing in a drain that runs through their community.

According to Gerald Campbell, who operates a shop in Russia, at about 8:00 am on Wednesday, he was in his shop when residents alerted him to the presence of a crocodile in a nearby drain.

He said he helped them remove the animal.

“So when me come down, me see me uncle and some guys with fish guns say them a go shoot him. And me say no, nuh shoot him, because we can take him out. So me uncle ask a guy to get a piece of rope and then me go down in a the drain and try cast it over him mouth. And then me get help and draw him out, and then we put him on the road, and whole heap a people come down,” explained Campbell.

But his apprehension, like that of most residents with children, is that there are larger reptiles lurking in the area.

“From you find smaller ones here, you must have bigger ones,” said Campbell.

According to him, the only way to keep the reptiles away is to clean the drains and remove the mangroves where the animals now live.

“The place need to clean up, and we need better drainage system,” charged Campbell. “The parish council need to clean the drains so that they will not have anywhere to breed and harbour.”

He also appealed to the residents to stop throwing animal carcasses in the drains. It is believed that the animal carcasses are helping to lure the crocodiles to the area. “The people must not dump any dead dog in a the river. People who have dead animals must burn it and do not throw it in the water,” Campbell urged.

Another resident, Marion Gray, said that during the Yuletide season she made several attempts to bring the state of the drain to the Westmoreland Parish Council. But she said her attempts were futile, as superintendent of Road and Works, Albert Stewart, told her that the council didn’t have any money to undertake the drain cleaning.

“A walk the whole a December month, and the superintendent say him no have any money to clean it,” said Gray.

An irate resident who gave his name as Harrison, told the Observer that if work on the drain does not get underway soon, residents are going to stage a protest.

“If nothing no start by next week we will have to demonstrate, because crocodiles a jump out on the people. This caan work at all,” he said.