The three-year-old Cuban crocodile – critically endangered in the wild – will one day reach nine foot long and said by experts to be the most intelligent and aggressive croc in the world.
Owner Fabio Lazelli was caught out when his neighbours dialed 999 after a bust up at their apartment block in Cremona, Italy.
"They demanded to be let into his flat and were astounded when they found a crocodile swimming around in the bathtub," said one resident.
Lazelli – also facing a £70,000 fine – is understood to have smuggled the croc into the country as an egg, hatching it out at home.
Wildlife experts have now moved the two feet long beast to the reptile house at the specialist Bio park in Rome.
One said: "He's very lucky we got it when we did. These crocodiles are the most intelligent of their kind, fast, and aggressive. As it got older he would have been in real danger."
Post published in: World News