Crocodile Nilo frightens drivers in Bodrum

A 1.2-meter long crocodile caused commotion as it walked across the road between western holiday cities of Bodrum and Milas on Tuesday.

A Nile River crocodile weighing around 12 kilograms frightened and surprised drivers and passengers as it came into the path of traffic at the 25th kilometer of a road near Güllük town. Drivers tried to direct the crocodile to some empty land near the road using sticks. Curious drivers pulled over to watch the crocodile. Traffic police and Güllük Mayor Aytunç Kayrakçı went to the place to see the crocodile.

Süleyman Erkek, a 25-year-old marketer who saw the crocodile first, said: “We were shocked when we saw a giant reptile on the road. We got out of the car and came closer. We first though it was a giant lizard but then we understood that it was a crocodile. Then we directed it to some empty land to protect it from cars by using sticks because it was sometimes trying to attack us. Then we called the police,” Erkek said.

The crocodile waited in the empty block of land for around two hours, attracting attention from passersby. A traffic police officer said it was the most interesting event he had witnessed in his professional life in around 20 years.

An official from Güllük Municipality telephoned some fishermen in the region to request a fishing net to carry the crocodile. However, the fishermen did not believe the officer, as he was asking what to do with a crocodile on the road.

Later on it emerged that the crocodile was named Nilo, and it was living in a nearby restaurant’s pool. Nilo escaped from its pool and walked for almost 1 kilometer. At around 9 p.m. the manager of the restaurant, Ali Gümüş, arrived at the road with a white bag.

“The crocodile is mine, it is two years old and its name is Nilo, as it is a Nile River crocodile. Last year I bought it from a pet shop in İzmir. Tourists in our restaurant have good times with Nilo. It is a little bit aggressive now as it is away from its home,” Gümüş said. Gümüş then put Nilo into the bag and took it back to the restaurant.