SANTO DOMINGO.- Environment minister Omar Ramirez yesterday that "years back it wasn’t strange to see the presence of crocodiles in the country’s rivers," when there was a certain number of them, and confirmed the presence of at least two reptiles in Santo Domingo’s rivers.

Ramirez said Dominican Republic is one of the few countries where, until they appeared two months ago in the Ozama and Isabela, there were no crocodiles in the rivers.

He said Semarena plans to capture alive the crocodiles which have come to the rivers Ozama and Isabela after the rivers swelled their banks during Tropical Storm Noel, using special darts to immobilized them.

Interviewed by the Corripio media group, the official said their capture has been difficult because there is much food in the river and this crocodile variety usually feeds on tilapias and frogs, and haven’t been lured to the various snares put out.

He confirmed the sighting of two crocodiles in the barrio La Barquita, which had escaped from a pen of an unidentified man, who allegedly breeds exotic animals.

Ramirez said these crocodiles are of a species similar to those in Enriquillo lake (southwest), which is not aggressive, and instead opts to flee when humans are present, making their capture difficult.  He said crews of Semarena and National Zoo expert in the capture of crocodiles continue to search for them.