Animal workers tending to the captured Yuen Long crocodile have developed another theory about what is spoiling its appetite: stage fright. It is thought the sight of all the people wandering past its new home in Sheung Shui might be putting it off its food. And they may have a point. After all, it was people who brought it to Hong Kong in the first place; people who chased it relentlessly for the last seven months; and people who took it from its river home, bundled it into the back of a van and then into a converted dog kennel late last week. The reptile endured its fifth day of incarceration yesterday. While it seemed to be adapting to its new surrounds, it still had not eaten anything, said conservation officer Wong Che-lok of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. 'We have surrounded its room with a kind of partition so it will not be able to see people walking past in the corridor or watching it,' Mr Wong said. Mr Wong said he did not fear for the animal's well-being since crocodiles can survive for weeks or even a few months without eating.
