The six foot long reptile – at Lake Shira in Siberia, eastern Russia – gave his owner the slip as he haggled with tourists over the price of a souvenir photo, reports local media.
Horrified swimmer Anna Luneva said: "I was swimming and suddenly realised there was a crocodile in the water. I was so frightened I almost lost my mind.
"Everyone was panicking," she added.
A special police wildlife unit eventually recovered the crocodile, which is recovering at a nearby aquatic centre.
"It was quite a young crocodile and there is plenty of food in this lake – swimmers. We didn't want him to escape and grow any bigger," commented an officer.
Post published in: World News