Giant one-tonne crocodile rescued from canal in Sri Lanka

This is the amazing moment that wildlife officials in Sri Lanka rescued a crocodile weighing close to one tonne after it became stuck in a canal while hunting for food.

The giant reptile was reportedly found in the southern city of Matara and was a massive 17 feet long.

It’s believed that he became stuck in the canal after heavy rain caused water levels to rise, forcing local wildlife officials to step in.

Describing the find, environmentalist Uppala Jayatissa said: ”We found a similar size crocodile four, five months back in the Polathumodrara river. This is the maximum these type of crocodiles grow.’

After being unwedged from the awkward spot, the crocodile was pushed back into the river using a JCB digger and a tractor with a trailer.

Local wildlife department official Ravindra Kumar added: ‘With the help of the villagers and the police we achieved what we wanted which was to send the crocodile back to where he came from without hurting him in any way.’

We can only hope that they managed to take a few decent snaps of the beast, before he snapped at them.