John Lever left for Australia last night without having caught the Yuen Long crocodile, but took with him fond memories of his two weeks in Hong Kong.
'I'd never been here before and I've had a great time,' said Mr Lever, who handed the hunt over to a group of experts from the mainland on Friday. 'It's been a very good people experience and not such a great crocodile experience.'
Mr Lever's efforts to snare the wily 1.2-metre reptile - which was last seen on November 21 being attacked by a dog - captured the attention of not just Hong Kong's people and press, but the world's media.
Stories of his exploits have appeared as far afield as Toronto, London and Bogota, as well as in his homeland.
'Croc 1, Dundee 0' was the headline in Friday's The Sydney Morning Herald.
'When I go home, the press will want to know what went wrong,' Mr Lever admitted.
The blanket coverage by Hong Kong media of his quest, while not always positive, has made Mr Lever an instant celebrity.
