Crocodiles are not native to Greece, nonetheless Greece acquired its own native crocodile on Saturday when baffled police and firemen went to the Potami Dam near the Greek city of Rethymno after one was sighted. Initially, they thought reports of the 6-foot long creature were a hoax, but videos proved that it actually exists.

Greece doesn’t have its own Crocodile Dundee, but the next best thing is EMAK – the Greek Disaster Management Special Unit. Plans are underway to rescue the reptile on Thursday morning. The capture of the beast has acquired special urgency amid fears that breeding may occur if there are two crocodiles out there. Rumors that there may be more than one are causing tourists to be concerned about swimming in the area.

Regional official Vangelis Mamangakis told private Antenna TV that parts of the lake have been fenced off. He has no idea how the crocodile got there but there are suspicions that it may have been kept as a pet before being recklessly abandoned or it may have been left there by a visiting circus.

The reptile has become something of an attraction with blow-up crocodiles being sold as souvenirs and two Facebook pages in its honor. One of them, “Sifi the Crocodile”, already has over 2,800 friends. Cretan mandinades – 15-syllable rhyming couplets that are written in Cretan dialect and spread by word of mouth – are spreading like wildfires in honor of the creature.

Meanwhile, experts are worried that all this attention could serve to frighten poor Sifi that is probably feeling confused. Reptologist Petros Lymberakis, a specialist for the Museum of Natural History, warns that people should not approach the crocodile for a photo opportunity as there could be an accident. Though Mr. Lymberakis admits he is no Crocodile Dundee, he feels that his experience will reptiles will help him catch Sifi. “It depends on how afraid he is,” says Mr. Lymberakis.