A CROCODILE which was once lost in a polluted river in Lebanon is now among friends at a crocodile farm.

Lebby, a 1.5-metre Nile crocodile, was introduced to 34 fellow Nile crocs at Crocodiles of the World in Brize Norton after being captured by a local fisherman in the Beirut River last year.

It is thought she was an abandoned pet and escaped into the murky river in the city’s Metn district which was polluted with waste from a sewage plant, a fish factory and an abattoir.

It was first spotted in August 2013 and newspapers and TV channels followed the story daily and the many attempts made to catch Lebby.

Locals were becoming concerned about the threat she might pose to humans until the fisherman was able to catch her.

Shaun Foggett, keeper at Crocodiles of the World, said: “She was living near a sewage plant and a fish factory which dumped lots of waste into the river.

“It wasn’t very pleasant water and she was open to all sorts of illnesses.

“A local fisherman was fishing in the river one time and she just popped up next to his boat and he managed to throw a net over her.

“The government was going to shoot her but a local charity started looking for potential homes, and because we’ve got a large enough facility and we’ve got a group of similar crocodiles we were able to offer her a home.”

Middle Eastern Airways offered to fly Lebby back to the UK free of charge in 2014 and she then underwent a long period of recovery.

Tests found she had blood poisoning and parasites which had to be treated.

After a year she was finally introduced to the other Nile crocs, which are mostly around five years old.

There is now a permanent sign next to the croc enclosure telling Lebby’s story.