The Hindu : International : The croc hunt resumes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

International

International

The croc hunt resumes

HONG KONG, MAY 1. A small crocodile that has embarrassed expert hunters by evading traps, dart guns and harpoons has reappeared in Hong Kong, and the chase is on again.

The saltwater croc was recently spotted in a remote part of the same polluted creek where it first appeared last year, startling residents of Hong Kong, where such animals are not native species.

A Chinese crocodile expert, He Zhanzhao, says the current warm weather will bring the cold-blooded reptile into the open more often. "It's the best time to capture it," he said. He's team is returning to resume the hunt in May — but the croc has eluded him and others for half a year .

When the beast first appeared in November, Hong Kong conservation officers set traps baited with chicken. The crocodile snacked on the meat and left the traps unsprung.

Authorities called in Australian hunter John Lever. Lever, looking like a real-life character from the film `Crocodile Dundee,' vowed to simply `walk in and grab' the animal. But he left empty-handed after many nights in a small boat — harpoon poised to fly — and a few close encounters with his slippery prey.

People living near the creek say the croc is no big deal. "We are not afraid of it. Sometimes we even have pythons crawling into our house," said Chan Kam-fai, who lives in a hut near the area's fish farms. "But if it eats our fish, then it will cost us money." — AP

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