Bid to snare mystery Hong Kong crocodile
A team of experts from mainland China today set net traps to try to catch a stray crocodile that has eluded capture in Hong Kong for over a month.
Team leader He Zhanzhao and a colleague spent two days last week scouting the swampy suburban creek where the elusive crocodile has been hiding, but went home after failing to catch sight of the animal.
He returned on Saturday as part of an 11-man team, and set the net traps after briefly glimpsing the 1.2-metre reptile this morning, said Chan Siu-keung, a coordinator for the team.
Chan said the experts hope to catch the crocodile by confining it to an area and then closing in on it.
The wily reptile has evaded both Hong Kong conservation officials and an Australian crocodile farmer since it was first spotted on November 2.
Hong Kong has no native crocodile species, and it remains unclear where this one came from.
