Members of the Ruislip community who can remember the late days of the Swinging Sixties may recall this story of an exotic pet who caused a minor sensation when she went missing in 1968.
Clara was a six-month-old crocodile at the time, owned by a Ms Margaret Ive, wife of the landlord at the Six Bells pub in Ruislip. Ms Ive had her own private collection of animals in the garden of her home, which along with Clara included two cats, five tortoises, a Yorkshire terrier and a monkey.
The fuss began when Clara vanished, with people suddenly fearing the fact that a crocodile was on the loose in the area, despite her small size. She was even dubbed the ‘Beast of Ruislip’ by one newspaper at the time.
Police trawled the woods nearby to Ms Ives’ home, and signs were put up in the Ruislip Lido warning bathers of a dangerous crocodile “at large”.
Fortunately, Clara was located soon after, having been found inside a water-filled ditch not ten yards away from her home. This photograph was taken shortly after the incident, revealing the ‘Beast of Ruislip’ to the public at large.
Photo Credit: Keystone Pictures USA & Shutterstock
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