ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, March 7 (UPI) -- Officials in the Russian city of St. Petersburg said street cleaners discovered a baby African crocodile at a construction site.

Workers at a St. Petersburg public utility office said the street cleaners discovered the croc, which measures about 20 inches long and is an estimated four days old, at a construction site and brought it to the office, where it was placed in an aquarium and given fresh beef to eat, RIA Novosti reported Friday.


The utility office workers said they asked the St. Petersburg Zoo to take custody of the reptile, but zoo officials said they do not have the resources to care for an African crocodile, which can grow up to 16 feet long.

Officials said they do not know how the baby crocodile ended up at the construction site.