Crocodile farmers in the Mekong Delta provinces of Bac Lieu and Ca Mau complain that thieves have become a big headache for them in the last few months.

The number of reports of crocodile thefts has increased though the farmers have invested a lot of money and effort in protecting their reptiles.

Some farmers have had creatures stolen several times. So far, farmers in the two provinces have lost more than 1,500 animals.

Many said they had built fences, set up alarms, and had guard dogs but nothing was deterring the thieves.

The problem has been particularly acute in Ca Mau. In Thoi Binh District alone, more than 30 thefts have occurred.

Lam Van Tan, who has more than 200 crocodiles on his fenced farm, said 197 of them were stolen one night last month. He replaced the stolen stock with 100 new animals, but that very night, a further 58 were stolen.

Police in Thoi Binh District have set up a team to catch the thieves. Early last month they arrested a six-member gang led by Tran Quoc Van that had allegedly been involved in a dozen cases of theft in Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and Kien Giang.

They said Van confessed to several thefts by his men since April and explained their modus operandi: They would use pliers to cut the barbwire fence on a farm and use nets to scoop out young crocodiles.

They would later sell the stolen animals back to the same farm at very low prices.

Since arresting the six, the police have taken into custody seven more people.

In Ca Mau City, police arrested five people and recovered 105 crocodiles from them.

Source: VNS