Residents of Moshav Beit Hanania near Zichron Yaakov in northern Israel were shocked on Saturday to discover a crocodile roaming their community's streets. Police were called after residents spotted the crocodile wandering the roads of their community and basking in the sun. Local authorities from Zichron Yaakov were dispatched to verify the report, quickly saw the crocodile, and began tracking its movements. It later emerged that the crocodile had escaped the nearby Amat Tninim ecological nature reserve, which attempts to recreate the ecosystem that existed in the nearby swamp known as Nahal Tninim ("Crocodile River"), so named because in ancient times, the Romans would take crocodiles from the river to fight gladiators at events in Caesarea. The nature preserve owner said the crocodile was a 2-meter (6 foot, 7 inch) male of the Yaor type, a species he said can pose a threat to local wildlife because of its tendency to breed rapidly. Nature reserve staff, police and volunteers eventually captured the crocodile and returned it to the reserve. Police have opened an investigation into the event, and said it seemed a broken lock had allowed the crocodile to escape. Beit Hanania members said they would monitor the investigation closely and make sure that improved security mechanisms were installed at the reserve to prevent any future crocodile escapes. Meanwhile, while no one was injured by the stray croc, hikers in the Golan Heights who encountered a wolf were not so lucky. A couple and a family from Shfaram who were visiting the Druze holy site Nabi Hazouri in the northern Golan Heights were both attacked on Saturday by an adult female wolf suspected of being rabid. The visitors, along with another man who fought off the wolf and provided first aid to the victims, were taken to Rebecca Sieff Medical Center in Safed, where they received treatment for their wounds and were inoculated against rabies. Later that day, the wolf attacked two brothers from Kibbutz Neot Mordechai who were hiking in the area. One managed to photograph the animal, and sent the picture to the authorities so they could confirm that it was the same animal.
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