Why Hongkongers want latest crocodile found to be housed at Wetland Park with resident reptile Pui Pui ... and named Bo Bo
- Eager visitors at nature attraction in Tin Shui Wai say they believe wetland facility has room for one more crocodile compared with Ocean Park
- Wetland Park’s Pui Pui is bigger and falls under saltwater species, while new animal is a Siamese crocodile
Many Hong Kong residents on Monday expressed their wish for a Siamese crocodile caught over the weekend to be housed at the Wetland Park rather than tourist attraction Ocean Park, while authorities examined the reptile.
Visitors viewing saltwater crocodile Pui Pui at its home in the Hong Kong Wetland Park told the Post they wished for the recent catch on Sunday to also feature at the Tin Shui Wai park. They said the facility had suitable resources to accommodate another crocodile.
“If I were Pui Pui, I would feel bored as there’s no company,” nine-year-old Alvin Lee Long-kiu said as he gazed into the enclosure housing the lethargic crocodile, aged 20 to 23. Lee added he preferred to visit the latest catch at the Wetland Park alongside Pui Pui rather than in Ocean Park, which he said was crowded with exhibits.
Pui Pui, found in November 2003, came back into the spotlight a day after a two-metre Siamese crocodile was discovered by a resident of Lin Fa Tei village in Pat Heung, Yuen Long, and subsequently captured by authorities. The reptile is now under examination at Ocean Park.
An Ocean Park spokesman said the Siamese crocodile was around four years old, measured at 1.9 metres (6.2 feet) in length and weighed 35kg (77 pounds).
“The crocodile displays active behaviour and will be held temporarily at Ocean Park’s quarantine facility for appropriate care by its veterinary and animal teams who have extensive experience in alligator care,” he said.
Several other Hongkongers on Monday told the Post they also wished to see two crocodiles at the Wetland Park, which they believed was well-placed to host another reptile.
“The Wetland Park is better as there’s company for the crocodile. The enclosure should have enough space too,” retiree Lam Yat-ping said.
Caught after a seven-month hunt in 2003, saltwater crocodile Pui Pui lives in an open-air tank in the park. It was believed to have been a pet that escaped or was abandoned. Volunteer tour guide Katie Wong Pui-yi said the crocodile was now 2.7 metres (nine feet) long – almost twice its length when caught – and weighed 110kg (243 lbs), up from 14kg two decades ago.
Its diet consists mostly of chicken, with carers feeding it one frozen chicken per week.
“People have watched too many documentaries where crocodiles gobble up large animals. Due to Pui Pui’s low amount of activity, she doesn’t need so much food,” Wong explained.
The guide added that Pui Pui, as an ectothermic animal that relied on the environment to regulate body temperature, would bask in the sun for heat needed to sustain metabolism, which further reduced need for food.
Hong Kong Society of Herpetology Foundation animal adoption committee member Victor Wong Long-yin told a Monday morning radio programme that putting two species of crocodiles, especially if they were of different sizes, into the same habitat could cause safety hazards because the reptiles were solitary animals.
“Siamese crocodiles easily feel threatened, so they pose more of a safety hazard to humans,” he said. “If people meet these types of reptiles, they should keep a distance, leave them alone and avoid provoking them with any sound.”
Wong called on the government to crack down on the illegal trade of such animals. Crocodiles, along with other rare and endangered species, are commonly imported into the city on the black market.
The latest crocodile is believed to have been smuggled into the city as a pet, and made its way into the wild.
Some enthusiastic residents have also suggested names for the animal, such as “Bo Bo”, which means “precious” in Cantonese, and is a common nickname to refer to someone close. When combined with Pui Pui’s name, it would imply “darling”.
“If this one is called Pui Pui, why not call the other one Bo Bo,” retiree Lam said.
Dixon Choi, a father in his 30s, echoed the suggestion. “It could be called Bo Bo or Bo Pui.”
The Post has contacted the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for comment.
