Crocodile spotted in Hong Kong village caught 4 hours after first sighting
- Resident sees crocodile near neighbour’s fence and reports it to police
- Reptile is caught and pinned down while conservation officers tape its snout and bind its legs
A two-metre crocodile, captured by Hong Kong conservation officers at a village in the New Territories about four hours after it was first spotted on Sunday in the yard of a house, has been sent to Ocean Park.
Two reptile experts said they believed the female crocodile had been smuggled into the city as a pet, and urged the government to ramp up regulations on the trade in exotic animals.
The unusual discovery was made on Sunday by a resident of Lin Fa Tei, a village in Pat Heung in the northwestern part of the city, who saw it near a neighbour’s house and reported it to police at 12.53pm.
Officers from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department were called to the scene to inspect and capture the crocodile, measuring two metres (six feet) in length and weighing 35kg (77lbs). Police officers first sealed off the area.
The reptile, a Siamese crocodile, was caught and taken away in a cage at around 5.30pm. Its snout was taped shut and its legs were bound.
An Ocean Park spokesman on Sunday evening said the crocodile had been placed under the care of its quarantine facility and was being examined by vets.
A domestic helper named Maryann, 50, said she was startled when she saw the crocodile in between the fence of her employer and neighbour’s houses in the village.