Authorities capture what may be killer croc

Last night a team from the Forest Department combed the canals of Belama in search of the crocodile responsible for the death Sunday of thirteen year old Jamaal Swift. The government officers, assisted by crocodile expert Mark Howells of Lamanai Outpost Lodge, snared a croc, which measured between eight and nine feet in length, that they believe may be the same one that killed Swift. There is no way to be sure, however, since there were no clear bite marks on Swift’s body to be matched against the teeth of the captured crocodile, but the animal was found only a few hundred yards from the spot where Swift was dragged under. The croc was taken to Central Farm for dissection and analysis to determine what was in its stomach and to learn more about the habits and condition of crocodiles in that area. The Belama specimen has been identified as an American Saltwater Crocodile as opposed to the rarer species known as the Moralet’s.