She's refusing all offers of food and prefers to bask in the sun The Yuen Long crocodile, which has refused to eat since being captured on Thursday, continued its hunger strike yesterday, ignoring the two live fish put into its pool. On its second day at a government animal shelter in Sheung Shui, the four-year-old reptile decided to skip lunch and instead enjoyed an hour of sunbathing. It has refused all food it has been given. Veterinarian Eric Tai said he was not worried about its lack of appetite because crocodiles could go a long time without food. He was pleased with the progress so far, saying the reptile was adapting well to the enclosure and exploring the area. The salt-water crocodile was caught in a trap in Yuen Long after a seven-month hunt that drew Australian and mainland experts to Hong Kong. Measuring 1.5 metres and weighing 14kg, it is believed to be female. The capture made headlines around the world. Thomas Chan Chun-yuen, director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, said it was time the animal had a name. 'Hong Kong people have a very strong emotional attachment to the crocodile so it's appropriate to pick a name for her,' he said on a radio programme yesterday. Some names that have already surfaced include 'Gucci' and 'Croc Croc Chan', after Mrs Chan, the villager who first spotted it. The crocodile is to face 18 months in solitude before it can be moved to its permanent home in the Tin Shui Wai wetland park at the end of next year. A spokeswoman at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, the crocodile's caretaker after it stabilises, said it would be quarantined for three months and would be kept in an indoor enclosure with a pool. It later would be moved to an outdoor enclosure with trees, a pond and a bamboo hideaway. 'We want to keep the crocodile healthy and don't want take the risk of giving it a companion,' she said. Kadoorie Farm will consider putting the crocodile on public view after the quarantine period. The farm already has 21 crocodiles, which were confiscated by the government. But at a year old and 30cm long they are too small to mingle with the new arrival.
