Swedish police find crocodile in man's greenhouse

MALMO, Sweden, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Swedish police said they discovered a crocodile measuring more than 6-feet in a greenhouse on a residential property.

Investigators said they were conducting a raid on the home of a 40-year-old man suspected of receiving stolen goods and they discovered his greenhouse held a large reptile identified by experts as a Nile crocodile, The Local.se reported Friday.

The man's wife told the Sydsvenskan newspaper the crocodile had been a gift.

"My husband has had the crocodile for at least 10 years. Myself, I would have preferred to use the greenhouse for something else," she said.

Police said the man, who was also found to be in possession of a dead crocodile in his freezer, was detained.

Animal inspector Paula Hultgren said veterinarians are trying to decide what to do with the live reptile.

"Every confiscated animal gets inspected by vets, who then make a decision about the animal's condition," she said. "We haven't been able to find any zoos in Sweden that have Nile crocodiles, but there are some in Europe that house this species."