Police in Derbyshire solve mystery of crocodile found in canal

Police hunting for a crocodile in Derbyshire have said the search turned out to be "more fluff than fear".

Derbyshire Police's rural crime team posted "the strangest appeal ever to grace our Facebook page" on Thursday, after a member of the public spotted a crocodile dumped in a canal in Willington.

"We're going to go out on a limb and guess this little guy isn't native to Derbyshire and as such, if you can offer any information about the crocodile's whereabouts now, or have knowledge of how it ended up at that site, please drop us a direct message," said the appeal.

"For clarification, although we cannot claim to be medical professionals, we are acutely aware the crocodile is deceased," it added, after a number of commenters pointed out the animal looked dead.

The appeal was widely shared and the team soon had an answer.

"We can now confirm the mystery has been solved!" wrote the rural crime team on Friday.

"A member of [the] public has come forward and explained that the crocodile was a stuffed taxidermy one, filled with hay, and inadvertently caught while fishing...

"While it gave us all a bit of a surprise, it turns out this one was more fluff than fear!"

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The escapade seems to have entertained the crime team's Facebook followers, with one commenting: "Brilliant! Really made me smile once it was revealed what it was!

"I can imagine it gave you all a bit of a shock."

(c) Sky News 2025: Police in Derbyshire solve mystery of crocodile found in canal