Kuwaiti man caught with crocodile at checkpoint, claims he was raising it

Cairo: A Kuwaiti man was caught illegally possessing a crocodile after police stopped his car at a checkpoint.

Officers in the Farwaniya Governorate, south of Kuwait City, referred the man — reportedly in his 30s — to the General Department of Environment after discovering the reptile inside a box in his vehicle during a routine inspection in the Abdullah Al Mubarak area, Al Anba newspaper reported.

A security source told the paper that the driver appeared visibly nervous while passing through the checkpoint, prompting further inspection.

When questioned, the man claimed he was rearing the crocodile.

Kuwaiti law criminalises the breeding of wild animals following a series of mauling incidents and fatal attacks in recent years.

Authorities strictly prohibit the entry of any animal into Kuwait — home to around 4.9 million people — without approval from the Public Authority for Agriculture and Fish Resources. Predatory animals, poisonous reptiles, and monkeys are all banned.