Shoppers and employees recently witnessed a stray crocodile at a shopping plaza in Roseville, California.

Shoppers and employees recently witnessed a stray crocodile at a shopping plaza in Roseville, California. To the amazement of everyone around, the 4-foot long croc was left wandering around the property.

Once alerted of the situation, animal control officer, John Bennett responded to the scene to take control of the reptile.

"We got a call that there was a loose crocodile in the shopping center." [KXTV]
"Oh, yeah. Just a 4-foot crocodile wandering the strip mall." [KXTV]

According to police, someone duct taped its mouth shut, placed the croc in a container and abandoned it right outside a reptile store at the shopping center.

Whoever was responsible for leaving the reptile behind, presumably the former owner, left a note which identified the creature as a Nile crocodile and asked for someone to contact rescue authorities.

The problem is that the croc managed to escape the plastic tub it was reportedly left in and was free to explore the center. Bennett successfully lassoed the croc and handed it over to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

It was also pointed out that in the US owning a Nile crocodile, a species native to Sub-Saharan Africa, is illegal.