A PLEA for community help to build a new home for a crocodile in West Somerset has seen a huge response from local residents and businesses.

Tropiquaria Zoo was helped last year by teams of pond experts spearheaded by DU Waterscapes to build a water feature in a new enclosure after it rescued Bode the bobcat from being euthanised.

Now, a year on, the experts are returning to help build ‘something beautiful’ for Munchkin, an African dwarf crocodile which has outgrown its current home in Bournemouth Oceanarium.

It will be located in a currently under-construction crocodile house in the animal sanctuary, near Watchet.

A Tropiquaria spokesperson said: “An extra special thanks goes out to Wheeler and Son Ltd who donated their time and skills to move over five tonnes of rock half way across the county, which will all form part of the new crocodile pond - you are truly amazing.

“A big shout out also to Travis Perkins Minehead branch who turned up with a donation of stone for our new crocodile house.

“It is these kinds of gestures that help us in doing what we do, thank you.

“The new project is one of our biggest and most ambitious yet, bringing an entirely new area of the zoo to life, but we need all the help we can get.”

Munchkin is moving into Tropiquaria following the death in January of much-loved spectacled caiman Mrs Nasty, which was the zoo’s oldest resident and which died of an old age condition.

The new crocodile house will focus on education and conservation, becoming an important hub within the zoo for learning and understanding crocodiles and the wider natural world.

Tropiquaria zookeeper Sam Tull is donning a pair of Crocs on Sunday (May 24) in which he will run two consecutive marathons trying to raise £3,500 toward the cost of Munchkin’s home.

He has already raised nearly £2,300 through his GoFundMe page before even starting the 52-mile coast to coast run from Seaton, in East Devon, to Watchet.

Mr Tull said: “If you are able to help support me in helping to create something amazing, then I am hugely grateful.”

Tropiquaria works with animal rescue services across the UK to provide ‘forever homes’ for animals in need.

Hundreds of people responded to the zoo’s call to help with funds last year to build a new enclosure for Bode, who quickly became a favourite with visitors, and Tropiquaria is hoping this time people will take Munchkin to their hearts.

The spokesperson said: “The feature has since flourished into a true piece of nature and we have loved seeing Bode make use of the space.”

Tropiquaria Zoo, a small tropical house and animal park, occupies the site of what used to be a BBC radio transmitting station on the A39 at Washford Cross.

It has a main focus on conservation work and educating guests on the modern world of wildlife and has the last breeding collection in the world of the small Mexican fish Goodeids.