Thousands of crocodiles escaped in the break-out (Picture: Alamy)

More than 15,000 crocodiles have escaped from a reptile farm in South Africa amid heavy flooding.

The runaway crocs are on the loose in and around one of the African country’s biggest rivers following a prolonged period of extreme wet weather conditions.

Rakwena Crocodile Farm was forced to open its gates over fears rushing flood water would crush the crocodiles.

‘There used to be only a few crocodiles in the Limpopo River. Now there are a lot,’ explained Zane Langman, a son-in-law of the farm’s owner.


‘I heard there were crocodiles in Musina [about 120km away] on the school’s rugby field.



‘When we reached them, the crocodiles were swimming around them. Praise the Lord, they were all alive.’

More than half of the reptiles have been recaptured following the floods which have led to the evacuation of thousands of residents in Mozambique and South Africa .