WEST ALEXANDRIA, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says it’s unlikely there are any other crocodiles in a western Ohio creek where one was captured this week.

The Dayton Daily News reports more than a dozen kids were with a church group at Bantas Fork Creek near West Alexandria when they spotted the large reptile.

Wildlife Officer Brad Turner says he responded Wednesday and killed the animal, citing “a public safety concern.”

The church members say it was necessary decision for the children who were going into the water.

Turner says it’s not clear how the crocodile got into the creek.

The reptile was 7½ feet and shipped to Columbus where the state’s Department of Agriculture will investigate how it got there.

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Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com