As if there wasn't already enough evidence of the extent of human stupidity, in the summer of 2014, yet another piece of evidence was added to the pile. At least if we take for granted the fact that the crocodile spotted splashing around in Crete was placed there by human hands and was not simply a reptile that got bored of the banks of the Nile and visited the island as a tourist, like so many others (people, not crocodiles) every year.
Two firefighters who were checking the area as part of their fire safety patrols stared and stared again with wide eyes at what they saw in the artificial lake of the Potamos Dam in Amari, Rethymno. Crete may be famous for its flora and fauna, but no matter how you look at it, a reptile, and one nearly 2 meters long at that, had not been seen on the island for thousands of years! And once they were sure that it wasn't some kind of inflatable beach toy, they reported the incident to the authorities.
As expected, the topic went viral in no time. This meant that articles about the «crocodile» or «reptile» began to appear everywhere, but soon it ceased to be referred to by these general and vague terms and acquired its own name and identity. It's done, Sifis! An obvious choice, really, since we would name him Manolio because of his local roots...
In addition to the experts, more and more unrelated people began visiting the area, hoping that Sifis would be less shy and reserved than the Loch Ness monster and would do them the favor of appearing and posing for them. Some even tried to lure him with delicacies such as chicken and other edible treats, but the crocodile of our hearts proved to be much less hungry or much more «cunning» than expected. Despite the lure, he remained well hidden. and appeared alongside the big names on the dance floor. That is, only for a few performances.
However, his profile was ready relatively quickly. Sifis was about 1.70 meters tall, somewhere between 4 and 7 years old, and scientists probably considered him somewhat overweight for his size and age. For them, it was yet another sign of the obvious. That he had grown up in captivity, until his illegal owner realized that crocodiles are not made to be pets, like dogs or cats, but rather, when the opportunity arises, they eat pets of this type.
Who knows... Perhaps an American soldier from the Souda base had heard the well-known stories about alligators filling the sewers of New York, dumped there by idiots who flushed them down the toilet, and so he had the idea of releasing him in A... Be that as it may, Sifis had the honor (or misfortune, as it turned out) of being the only crocodile in all of Europe that was not living in captivity!
And according to experts, he may have been in the lake for as long as two years. This period allowed him to get to know the area well and discover every nook and cranny of the lake. 12 kilometers of coastline and abrupt changes in depth, which in some places reached up to 50 meters.
The Director of Transport and Hydraulic Works Management at the Crete Development Agency, Vangelis Mamangakis, He was the first to talk about the dangers associated with the presence of a crocodile in the area, urging residents not to wander around there aimlessly, while also making an assessment that could probably be considered one of the most misguided of all time. He said that capturing it would probably not be difficult, perhaps thinking that Sifis, who had grown up as a pet, would be a pushover.
In the end, Sifis proved to be a master of concealment and escape. He remained free for almost two whole years, taking advantage of the rich menu of ducks and moorhens in the lake and knowing every inch of his own kingdom. He even managed to defeat the famous «crocodile,», Olivier Berra, who came to Greece with a reputation as a reptile charmer, but left empty-handed twice, despite his own optimism that it was only a matter of time before «Sifalios» was caught.
Of course, to be fair, one of them played its part, and the human factor. The authorities had made it clear that for the operation to succeed, conditions of complete darkness and absolute silence would be required. The French herpetologist had recorded the crocodile's routines and attempted to approach it with a small boat with a 5 hp motor and then with a canoe, and in one case he was even able to touch it, but Sefi escaped at the last moment.
The next time the same trap was attempted, a «well-wisher» appeared out of nowhere, ignoring the recommendations and prohibitions, and arrived in the area by car., turned on powerful spotlights, activated loudspeakers with animal and bird sounds, and began shouting himself.. He knew—he didn't know how to speak in riddles, but Sifis once caught on to the implication and became... a rabbit.
After failed attempts to capture it, people began to accept the idea that Crete would have a reptile for a long time. And, to be honest, many were happy with this development. This was despite what experts insisted on saying about the inability of such an animal to acclimatize to the island's weather conditions. The winter that followed was harsh for Crete... The last time Sifis was seen alive was February 14. Valentine's Day.
After that, his traces were lost, and when he was located again in March 30, 2015 It was no longer the crocodile, but only its carcass, as it had already died and was already in a state of decomposition. Undoubtedly a particularly inglorious end for Sefi, the crocodile of Crete and witness to human stupidity.
