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Tampa Park Takes In Teen's Pet Crocodile

Photo Courtesy of WSLS-TV

This 6-foot long, 100-pound crocodile was a Roanoke teen's pet.

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By Jason Odra

TBO.com

Published: March 31, 2008

TAMPA - A teenager in Roanoke, Va., may have had good intentions, but when his pet African Nile crocodile grew to 100 pounds and 6 feet long, his mother said enough was enough.

The reptile, whose species is known for being responsible for more human deaths than any other type of crocodile, was kept illegally by the anonymous teen, according to volunteers from Croc Encounters Reptile Park and Wildlife Center in Tampa, who went to Virginia to rescue the crocodile.

The animal outgrew the tank enclosure in the teen's bedroom.

"They had gotten into this situation where they did have him and they really didn't know what to do," Laura Paner of Croc Encounters said.

It was the boy's mother who urged him to give it up.

"I don't think he was very happy about it, but it was the right thing to do," Paner said.

The Nile crocodile, the largest of African crocodilian, is known for having powerful jaws and a mouthful of razor sharp teeth.

The animal is on the way to Tampa and will be placed into an enclosure at Croc Encounters by Tuesday afternoon.

Lindsey Henley of WSLS-TV 10 contributed to this report.

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