A crocodile ate a 25-pound dog that chased birds into a pond on Saturday afternoon at a Florida golf course. The incident happened at the Crandon Park Golf Course in Key Biscayne.
The owner, who walked her pit bull terrier without a leash, was near the fifth hole of the golf course when the seven-foot reptile snatched her pet. The dog was running after the ducks and geese in the pond when it became the croc's next meal, reports the New York Daily News.
Lorenzo Veloz, official of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, points out that the pet owner was walking behind the golf course and tennis court when the attack happened. He adds that the Key Biscayne area have a number of crocodiles roaming its water.
Veloz says that the owner of the dog is distraught because of the loss of her pet, reports the Sun Sentinel.
The commission officials followed the croc for some time, but it did not release the dog. Miami-Dade county park officials stress that they have posted signs in the area warning of reptiles and that dogs must always be on leash.
Frank Mazzotti, biologist at the University of Florida, says residents of the state should know it is risky to allow a dog to run around unleashed near the water because the reptile loves to eat dogs. As fresh water crocs, the beast is free from wind and wave action, and consider the water a place to hang out like its living room.