On the coast of Kenya, visions of elephants on the beach are said to have been seen until fifty years ago, when they came down from the Arabuko forest and the heat led them to bathe in the still semi-virgin Watamu, on the shores of the Indian Ocean. At the same time we listened to stories of lions that from the park of Tsavo went up to the gates of Malindi, killing herds and scaring the inhabitants of the immediate hinterland of the town. From the Shimba Hills, the black antelopes and buffaloes descended into the plain, towards Diani.
But no one has ever spoken of crocodiles in the gardens of houses and on the streets of seaside resorts, as happened in recent days in Nyali, a seaside town attached to Mombasa, known for its resorts and restaurants and villas overlooking a white beach. A favourite holiday resort for Germans, English and Kenyans themselves, as well as some "alternative" Italians.
On Monday morning, the awakening for many residents of Nyali was shocking, when they found some huge reptiles, up to five meters long, hungry outside their homes.
Along Beach Road and the surrounding streets, crocodiles have spread panic, spreading out across various lands and trying to get into the properties.
It was soon understood that the specimens, at least twenty, had escaped from the nearby Mamba Village, a reptile and serpentarium hosting about ten thousand specimens, including carnivorous reptilians and poisonous snakes.
After the moments of loss, some inhabitants have promptly notified the Kenya Wildlife Service of Mombasa, in order to avoid the worst.
KWS officials told a journalist on the "Kenyans" site that, although they were not responsible for recovering this type of animal, they would collaborate in research and capture with those responsible for the National Museums of Kenya, assuming that the crocodiles would flee because of the renovation of the Mamba Village during the off-season.