Did 200, or just 20 crocs escape?

Two weeks after Typhoon Hagupit enabled a bunch of potentially dangerous crocodiles to swim out of their Zhuhai enclosure, word has filtered back that all the rogue reptilians have been recaptured.

Or have they?

Reports at the time said up to 200 of the creatures had escaped from Crocodile Island, a nature theme park on the shores of Baiteng Lake in the border town's Doumen district. Yet when contacted last week, representatives of the tourist spot said fewer than 20 had escaped and all had been recaptured.

They had no explanation for the discrepancy in the numbers.

Most of the escapees were said to be Chinese alligators, an endangered yet relatively harmless species that grows to about 2 metres in length.

However, among them were a number of Siamese crocodiles - a species from the area around Thailand that can grow up to 4 metres and is said to pose a moderate threat to humans.