Hongkongers can visit rescued 2-metre-long crocodile named Passion at Ocean Park from Saturday
- Crocodile finds new permanent home at Ocean Park, after being found and captured in village in New Territories last year
- Entry to see the reptile, a mix of two critically endangered species, will be free of charge in effort to raise conservation awareness among public
Entry to see the reptile, who was named via a public vote, will be free of charge in a bid to raise conservation awareness among the public.
Ocean Park said on Tuesday that Passion, a mix of the critically endangered Siamese and Cuban species, was either being fed or managed to forage for itself in the wild before it was captured in Lin Fa Tei village in Pat Heung last April.
But the park said it could not determine whether the case was considered pet abandonment.
“Through Passion’s example, we hope to enlighten the public about the impact of the introduction of alien species, especially aggressive animals, on the local ecology,” said Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong Kin-yee.
Mickey Lai Kin-ming, deputy director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, said Passion could remind the public not to smuggle or possess endangered species.
Government officers captured the female aquatic reptile after it was found in the village.