Agence France-Presse 04/05/2010 1:23 PM
SAN JOSE – Vigils, masses and parades are fine for Easter, but Ortega village in northern Costa Rica sticks to its own tantalizing observance: chasing after crocodiles.
This year, the intrepid croc chase in swim suits and clubs, along the Palma river, ended up in a deep cave, where the prey was cornered: a snarling, five-meter (16-foot) female crocodile.
"After a two-hour struggle... the animal was duly tied down... a big tug on the rope and out the cave came a huge reptile, to the cheers and applause of the crowd," La Nacion daily reported on its website.
The crocodile was captured Friday and will be kept on public display in a village square until Easter Sunday, when he will be released unharmed back into the wild.
The "lagarteada," or croc chase, as the ritual is known, has been observed in Ortega since the 19th century without interruption, despite attempts by animal rights groups to have it outlawed by the constitutional court.
Last year, the chase netted a 3.5-meter (11.4-foot) beauty.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/classified-odd/04/05/10/easter-croc-chase-time-costa-rica
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