Titi the croc - another French reptile tale

Police in the northern French town of Maubeuge found exactly what they were looking for when they raided the cellar of a squat last Friday.

For there, among the stolen stereo systems, scooters, and motorcycles was a vivarium.

No big deal you might be thinking, especially as it was only half full with water and pretty much hidden from view.

Except it contained a baby crocodile.

Even though drugs and illegal firearms were also found in the cellar, it was actually the croc the police were after.

They had reportedly got wind of its existence from children who had been paying regular visits to feed it with live fish.

Just as well perhaps that someone had been taking care of "Titi", as the baby reptile has been named, because the owner or owners of the croc hadn't apparently been looking after him.

His only company among all the stolen merchandise was 300 grammes of cannabis and €2,000 in cash - hardly an appropriate diet for a fast growing and hungry reptile.

Why exactly Titi was being kept in the cellar remains as much a mystery at the moment as the identity of the person or persons to whom he belongs.

But police have dismissed one story doing the rounds that his eventual fate would have seen him being used been to be used in combat in dog fights as a rumour.

For now Titi has been "released" from the confines of the cellar and taken to the zoo in Maubeuge, where he'll stay until a permanent home is found for him.

Ah the French and their croc stories.

Perhaps flushed with success, the police in Maubeuge could give their colleagues in the village of Xertigny in eastern France a hand.

Authorities there have been trying to hunt down a crocodile on the loose since June, and even though they've drained a local pond all they've came up with so far has been a 94-centimetre pike.