wild places | wild happenings | wild news
make a difference for our wild places

home | links | search the site
  all articles latest | past | articles by topics | search wildnews
wild news on wildsingapore
  Channel NewsAsia 30 Aug 06
HK's celebrity crocodile caught in the wild gets new home in Wetlands Park
By Channel NewsAsia's Hong Kong Bureau Chief Roland Lim

HONG KONG : Hong Kong's favourite crocodile Pui Pui has moved to her new home at the Hong Kong Wetlands Park.

Thousands of visitors flocked to the park to see the reptile that shot to fame in 2003 when she eluded capture for months.

In urban Hong Kong, it's not everyday that you find a saltwater crocodile swimming freely in one of the city's rivers. And it's a crafty reptile that eludes capture for seven months, even evading an experienced Australian crocodile hunter flown in for his expertise. But her footloose life finally came to an end and she was housed at Kadoorie Farm. That was three years ago.

Now, 'Pui Pui', which means 'The Precious One' in Cantonese, has left her temporary home for permanent quarters at the Wetland Park.

She is noticeably bigger, having put on 5.5 kilogrammes while in captivity, and she's longer at 1.75 metres, just over half her maximum length of three metres. The crocodile is now six years old and has a life span of up to 80.

Pui Pui clearly captured the imagination of the public with many calling her the classic Hong Konger for being self-sufficient and tough. And the young visitors to the park are especially excited to see her up close.

"She was captured and moved here where she's getting a lot of attention. She's welcome here and she's cute," said one child. Another said: "She's got a big tail and sharp teeth. When asked why they aren't afraid of the reptile, one child said: "It's rare to find a crocodile in Hong Kong."

Pui Pui is the star attraction of the Hong Kong Wetland Park. Thousands of visitors have thronged the park just to get a glimpse of the celebrity crocodile, which is still very much a prima donna.

But it isn't because she's putting on airs after being named Personality of the Year 2003 by Hong Kongers. It is because Pui Pui needs time to get accustomed to her new home as well as the constant attention.

Said Jackie Yip, manager of Hong Kong Wetland Park: "We released her yesterday and she had been quite active. When we released her, she was trying to explore her new environment. Today, she seems to be pretty settled."

Befitting her celebrity status, Pui Pui's US$385,000 pad is complete with infrared heaters as she doesn't like the cold. - CNA /ls
links
Related articles on Global issues: general
about the site | email ria
  News articles are reproduced for non-profit educational purposes.
 

website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com