NAMIBIA: Dead Crocodile in Fridge Stuns Family

Walvis Bay resident Simon Twanoneni and his three siblings are convinced someone is trying to play some bizarre trick, if not bewitch them with some kind of black magic, after they found a dead baby crocodile in their fridge on Wednesday evening.

The discovery of the almost 30cm baby croc stunned the family. They say none of them have recently visited any area known for crocodiles or received any parcels from such areas.

The tiny frozen crocodile, wrapped in a plastic bag, was found among the packs of meat and fish in the freezer.

A shocked Twanoneni , without uttering a word, shook his head in disbelief.

Jouel Tuwilika, his nephew, said Twanoneni made the discovery when he came back from work.

"My uncle found the bag with the baby croc in the fridge, while he was busy looking for something to cook for dinner."

The men were visibly shaken and shocked as they believe such creatures are often associated with witchcraft and death - in Oshiwambo culture.

The men said they could not understand how such a creature would end up in Walvis Bay and even more shockingly in their fridge.

Tuwilika said they all left for work on Wednesday morning as usual and left the door key on top of their shack.

"We have become so used to it. However when I returned home, I found my uncle with a weird expression on his face outside our shack. I thought someone had died and asked him why he was standing outside. He then told me to look in the fridge. That's when I saw the bag with the crocodile inside. I was stunned and scared," said Tuwilika.

He said they removed the bag to outside and reported the matter to the police.

"We initially thought it was a lizard but were told by officials from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism that it is a crocodile," he explained, adding, "it's not the size of the crocodile that we worry about but what it represents."

According to some residents, a crocodile is a bearer of bad news - either it carries a message that something bad is about to happen or news about an impending death, just as an owl or crow supposedly does, or that someone has some strange score to settle.

Meanwhile, the Walvis Bay police were expected to dispose of the crocodile at the town.

They also warned residents not to leave their keys on top of their shacks and to rather make a duplicate for each member of the household to avoid such incident.