The crafty croc found roaming in a Melbourne suburb on Christmas Day is having a summer holiday at a wildlife sanctuary while authorities try to find out who owns it.
Four people came forward to claim the one-metre freshwater crocodile found in a Heidelberg Heights front yard, but the snake wrangler who caught the reptile says he doesn't believe them.
"I'm not inclined to believe any of them though because they all were saying 'no need to get the authorities involved' and they all said they could take it off my hands straight away," snake hunter Mark Pelley told AAP on Wednesday.
It is legal to keep a crocodile as a pet in Victoria if you have a licence and in some circles they're considered a status symbol, Mr Pelley says.
"They're worth a lot of money, so I can see why they'd give it a shot."
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning said the crocodile had been temporarily relocated to Healesville Sanctuary.
They are now "working with the community to locate the owner".
Anyone who wants to stake a claim will have to prove they are the croc's rightful owner, the department says.
For now, where the creature came from remains a mystery.
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