Pui Pui the celebrity croc is still the star

She may have slipped from the international media spotlight that surrounded her escape and eventual capture in 2004, but Hong Kong's celebrity crocodile Pui Pui - who has just turned 10 - still rocks.

The croc, who took seven months to capture from her hideaway in Yuen Long's Shan Pui River six years ago, remains the star attraction at the Wetland Park in Tin Shui Wai.

Park management say that for almost every one of the close to 1 million people who have passed through the park gates in the past two years, Pui Pui is a must-see.

As celebrities go, the beast is easy to please. Now 2.3 metres long and weighing 47kg, it is almost twice the size she was when captured. She eats just 700 grams of fish and chicken during her once-a-week Tuesday feeds. This means a bill of just HK$3,600 a year, which must be music to the ears of even the most conservative of bean counters - especially considering the saltwater snapper could still be pulling in punters at the age of 70.

'Pui Pui really is low-maintenance and she remains our biggest star,' park exhibition manager Josephine Cheng Chui-yu said. 'In both 2008 and 2009, 440,000 people visited the park and all wanted to see her.

'Saltwater crocodiles are not really social animals. They are independent and solitary. She does like to bask in the sun and do a little swimming but gets most excited when she sees the red bucket that her food comes in.'

Pui Pui's keeper, James Kwok, was trained specially for the job by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in Florida. Kwok, 37, said: 'I have enjoyed my work with Pui Pui in the past four years. Visitors are always fascinated by her motions and movement, even small ones.'