Hi Johan and Juanita,
We spent a week in Cape Town and arrived home at 8.30pm 2 nights ago. I could see that the pool was green as a result of our absence and the recent thunderstorms. I threw the hose into the pool and switched the water on. In the poor light, I thought that I saw a large fish swim away from where the hose had landed. I may have had a swim if there wasn't lightning and thunder. I did put my arms into the water to clean out the leaf trap attached to the suction apparatus. Kirsty heard me working at the pool and asked me what I was doing. I told her that I thought that I had seen a fish as big as a shark. She laughed at me and I actually convinced myself that my brain was playing tricks (ageing). Sarah, our domestic arrived the next morning and told Jenny that she was afraid to go into the garden as the previous day, she and the gardener had encountered something in the garden with a very long tail and 4 legs that walked on it's belly with it's head in the air. When Jenny told me, I said it must be a leguaan that I had seen in the pool. Our bedroom overlooks the pool and when we opened the curtains we got the suprise of our lives...Take a look at the attached photos for a description better than I can give. I phoned the Hartbeespoort Snake and Animal Park for assistance and the receptionist just laughed, and told me that it was December not April! I wanted to speak to Jason Seale (the owner) and she said that he was too busy for jokes. When she heard that I was the vet, things changed and it took Jason and his team 5 minutes to get to our pool. There are NO crocodiles in Hartbeespoort Dam so they also stood and watched the animal in our pool in disbelief.... maybe in disbelief that a pool could get so green!! (I am embarrassed - the Beeld published a picture so the broader community now knows how I maintain our pool!!)
I took video and Ryan took the photos of Jason impersonating Steve Irwin. It was all over quickly... the jaws of the croc were taped up and it was put into a sack and taken to a place of safety at the Park.
Lots of love and regards... have a merry Christmas and a peaceful, happy and successful new year!
Ken (on behalf of Jen, Ryan & Anneke and Johan & Kirsty)
