BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip (November 6, 2012)--Gaza police say they've captured a crocodile that's been on the lam since fleeing from a zoo two years ago.

Lt. Col. Samih al-Sultan said officers had been chasing the reptile for weeks the croc was spotted in a sewage pond.

He said they didn't know how to catch him, so they searched online for a solution and finally caught the croc by entangling him in shark nets.

He was returned to the zoo Tuesday.

Police say the crocodile, which is 5-feet-9 inches in length, didn’t hurt anyone, but was frightening sanitation workers.

The crocodile was originally brought into the blockaded Gaza Strip through a smuggling tunnel linking the territory to neighboring Egypt.

Al-Sultan says the crocodile crawled more than half a mile as a baby to flee his captivity.