Even in Germany, we had an incident of someone unnecessarily calling in a danger that wasn't

[DFW]

A "concerned" citizen here called the authorities to alert them to a crocodile he saw on the lawn of a local elementary school.

OK, nothing is impossible, but we are about 1500 miles or more north of any kind of climate that supports crocodiles, and people here usually do not keep even baby crocodiles as pets. Still the fire department rushed to the school, and roped off the area with plastic tape. The material proved to be most appropriate--as the baby crocodile on the school lawn was also made of plastic. The newspaper article wryly mentioned that the fire department called the "concerned citizen" back to inform him that they were going to let the crocodile free where they found him. The man's reaction to that news was (I am sad to say) NOT included in the article.

[raven mad]

1. And they think we're weird way up here.........

[Ligyron]

2. Did ya hear the one about the alligator spotted by a pond in Missouri?

Also a bit far north for such a creature. Nevertheless, a concerned citizen called the police who sent out an officer who promptly blasted the reptile with his 9mm. Turns out it was made of concrete.

In the US, we shoot first and ask questions later.

[pazzyanne]

3. No, I didn't hear that alligator story, but

here in Minnesota the DNR found 2 alligators in two separate lakes. If they find the people who released those poor animals in this frigid country, I can only wish for the strictest punishment for them.

[DFW]

4. That is just base cruelty

If they ever find who did that, I'd make the parties responsible spend the winter in the same lakes.

(Hammurabi had nuthin' on me)

[DFW]

5. That wouldn't have happened here

In Germany, the Fire Department is not armed.

[OldEurope]

6. To be fair there was an incident some...

... twenty years ago. A young man had a pet caiman and used to walk it on a leash. Sammy the caiman escaped into a lake and it took several days to find and trap it. It was in Duisburg or some other town in the Ruhr area. So crocodiles and the like are not unheard of in Germany.

[DFW]

7. True enough, but the only ones that could ever pose any danger are alive

Plastic crocodiles are decidedly more docile.