At 22 years old, Lorena Montes Peña shares her home in Matanzas with dogs, cats, turtles, iguanas, and ducks. But in the pool lives the family member who draws the most attention: a three-year-old hybrid crocodile.
The young woman, a Veterinary student living in Palmar de Junco, showcased her unique coexistence with the reptile in a video posted by the YouTube channel JSant TV, which has already garnered tens of thousands of views.
The animal is, as Lorena explains, a hybrid between the Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) and the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus).
But she didn't make it home because she wanted to have a crocodile as a pet.
According to their account, the reptile appeared injured, with wounds on its head and a leg, after being rescued when it was supposedly about to be sold for use in religious rituals. An acquaintance of the family ended up bringing it to their home wrapped in a cloth.
Lorena then decided to take care of him.
Since that moment, his routine includes keeping the pool clean, ensuring that the animal has areas with water and dry spaces where it can bask in the sun and obtain the food it needs.
"It requires management, it has to have a schedule, it has parameters in which it needs to live; it must have sunlight, it must be dry, it must have water, it needs to be bathed, and it needs to be cleaned," he explained.
Feeding him is not easy in today's Cuba. Lorena manages to obtain pork and beef offal from slaughterhouses or through contacts on social media, and she claims that she has even had to cook with firewood and charcoal due to the lack of gas.
During the summer, the crocodile consumes approximately one kilogram of meat per week. In the colder months, it eats much less frequently due to the characteristics of its metabolism.
The living together has created moments that Lorena now recounts with laughter. Although she claims she has never been bitten, she has received a few tail swipes.
One of them, he recalled, was "etched in his back like a whip from the era of slavery."
But behind the apparent familiarity with which she interacts with the reptile, the student issues a stern warning: having a crocodile at home is not something others should imitate.
"It's a huge responsibility. I don't recommend it because I know that at 3 in the morning, when the crocodile gets loose, you're not going to run out." he stated.
And he summarized it even more clearly: "No one should have it. No one should have it."
The crocodile is just one of the approximately 20 animals that Lorena keeps in her home. Among them are iguanas, morrocoy turtles, jicoteas, ducks, dogs, and cats.
To support them, it partly relies on donations and combines their studies with work related to veterinary care.
When asked what is the most challenging aspect of dedicating oneself to animal rescue in Cuba, her response was immediate: "The country, the economy, the people... maintaining it and wanting to do so much with so little."
Living with a crocodile also has an expiration date. Lorena estimates that she will be able to keep it in its current conditions for about two more years, before its size makes the home pool an unsuitable space and increases the risks.
That’s why, despite having taken charge of one, their recommendation for anyone who encounters a crocodile in the wild leaves no room for doubt:
"What is still is left still. If you need help, seek out the specialists. But never grab it, never keep it."
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