Hot Topics: Smuggled Siamese crocodile raises concerns of illegal wildlife trade in Hong Kong

A female Siamese crocodile, a protected species in Hong Kong, was spotted by a domestic helper in April at Lin Fa Tei, a village in Pat Heung in the northwest New Territories.

The crocodile was about two metres in length and weighed 35 kilograms. Officers from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) managed to capture it. They later relocated it to Ocean Park for further examination.

An Ocean Park spokesman said the Siamese crocodile was around four years old.

“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.

Victor Wong Long-yin, a member of the Hong Kong Society of Herpetology Foundation’s animal adoption committee, said Hong Kong has no native crocodiles. This makes it unusual to find one in the city.

“Hong Kong has no native crocodiles, no matter what species or size. I believe that it was smuggled into Hong Kong mainly as a pet, or even for consumption, or to be made into leather,” he said.

The Siamese crocodile is native to Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia.

Two reptile experts urged the government to ramp up regulations on the trade in exotic animals. Non-native species can spread disease to or prey on native species, which can disrupt local ecosystems. In extreme cases, the non-native species can cause local species to become extinct.

Crocodiles are included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Wong said under Hong Kong law, the import, export, re-export or possession of animals under CITES required a licence issued by the government, but no members of the public had been given approval to keep a crocodile in Hong Kong.

Staff writers

Question prompts:

• Why do you think there would be a crocodile in a residential area in Hong Kong?

• Based on Context and Glossary, where could the crocodile have come from?

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Question prompts:

• Using your own knowledge, what do the words “Happy Hong Kong” refer to?

• Why would the senior officer on the left be afraid of having “dangerous reptiles roaming around happy Hong Kong”? (

• Besides being dangerous to humans, what is another reason why it was important to capture the crocodile? Explain using information from Context.

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• Visitors to the Hong Kong Wetland Park in Tin Shui Wai say they believe the facility has room for one more crocodile compared to Ocean Park

• Wetland Park’s Pui Pui is a saltwater species, while the new animal is a Siamese crocodile

Many Hongkongers expressed their wish for the Siamese crocodile to be housed at the Wetland Park rather than tourist attraction Ocean Park. But some experts are concerned about putting the two in the same habitat.

Visitors viewing saltwater crocodile Pui Pui at its home in the Wetland Park told the Post they wished for the newly found Siamese crocodile to also live 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.

Alvin added he would prefer to visit the latest catch at the Wetland Park alongside Pui Pui rather than in Ocean Park, which he said was crowded with exhibits.

A day after the Siamese crocodile was caught, there was renewed interest in Pui Pui, a saltwater crocodile found in 2003 and captured after a seven-month hunt. Several Hongkongers said they hoped the Siamese crocodile could join Pui Pui at the Wetland Park as they believed the two reptiles could keep each other company.

However, Hong Kong Society of Herpetology Foundation’s Victor Wong believed that putting two species of crocodiles, especially if they were of different sizes, into the same habitat could cause safety hazards. This is because the reptiles are solitary animals.

“Siamese crocodiles easily feel threatened, so they pose more of a safety hazard to humans,” he said.

He also suggested that people keep a distance, leave them alone and avoid provoking them with any sound if they meet these types of reptiles in the wild.

Lingnan University Science Unit assistant professor Sung Yik-hei, who has carried out research on reptiles and amphibians, said the discovery of the crocodile showed that the government’s regulation of the exotic pet trade was insufficient.

These animals could threaten the safety of nearby residents if they escaped, he added.

Staff writers

Question prompts:

• Explain ONE reason for and ONE reason against housing the newly discovered Siamese crocodile with Pui Pui at the Wetland Park.

• To what extent do you agree that Hong Kong’s exotic pet trade laws are insufficient? Use Context and News to explain.

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• Experts fear post-pandemic wildlife trade is rising and the trading of lizards, Gila monsters and some other animals should be monitored

• More detailed data on imported pets is needed to trace origins of exotic, endangered animals

The discovery of a critically endangered Siamese crocodile in Hong Kong has raised concerns that the smuggling of rare and exotic animals is on the rise with the reopening of borders between Hong Kong and mainland China.

Dr Astrid Andersson, a wildlife forensics expert, said local regulation of imported animals as pets was not detailed enough. “We need to know the volume and the species’ specific details so we can track where the sellers got them and if they are being overexploited,” she said.

Noting that the crocodile found on April 30 was not in good condition, she said sick wild animals kept as pets posed a health risk to their owners and others because zoonotic diseases could pass from the animals to humans.

An online check by the Post found several pet shops in mainland China that claimed to have endangered and vulnerable species for sale, and some said they could sneak the animals into the city.

The Post found about 3,200 online pet shops listed on Taobao, with one in four offering delivery to Hong Kong. Some of the shops said apart from domestic pets, they also offered wallaby calves, Gila monsters and crocodile eggs. Some claimed they could bring in a wide range of animals, including sugar gliders.

Sam Inglis, a wildlife programme manager at environmental group ADM Capital Foundation, said a resurgence in the illegal wildlife trade was inevitable. He described Hong Kong as a thoroughfare for these species.

“Once an animal leaves the pet shop, we don’t know whether it is living in someone’s home, if it’s dead, if it’s been cooked or used in a health tonic or illegally exported,” he added.

The AFCD confiscated 506 animals at border checkpoints this year up to March, including 310 birds and 193 reptiles. There were 1,099 animals confiscated over the whole of last year, down from 4,633 in 2021.

From 2017 to 2021, the AFCD filed 115 prosecutions over the illegal import of live animals without relevant permits or health certificates. Hong Kong Customs said it worked closely with the department and its overseas counterparts in tracking the illegal trade of endangered species.

Staff writer

Question prompts:

• Why do you think people are so keen to keep endangered or vulnerable animals as pets?

• Use Context, News and Issue to explain TWO actions the government could take to stop the illegal trade in endangered species.

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• endangered species: refers to a species of animal or plant that is threatened by extinction. According to the National Geographic Society and WWF, species become endangered for two main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation.

• Siamese crocodile: a crocodile species that lives in freshwater areas. It can grow up to 4 metres in length and reach a weight of 80kg. The species is considered critically endangered in the wild due to poaching, with only an estimated 500 to 1,000 in existence around the world. They are one of three such species, alongside the saltwater crocodile and the common caiman.

• illegal wildlife trade: refers to the smuggling of wildlife species, especially rare and exotic animals, which is against Hong Kong law. Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, shops need a specific possession licence to keep endangered animals such as poison dart frogs, softshell turtles or crocodiles, no matter whether they are wild or bred. They also need a licence for species that are monitored internationally for trade in specimens from the wild, including chameleons, iguanas and monitor lizards. Private owners do not need a licence to keep such animals, but must provide documents showing the chain of transactions if they take the animals out of Hong Kong. Offenders face penalties of a fine of up to HK$10 million and 10 years’ jail, and the animals concerned will be forfeited.

• zoonotic diseases: diseases and infections caused by germs that spread between animals and people. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, more than six out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people can be spread from animals, and three out of every four new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals.

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Context:

• Why do you think there would be a crocodile in a residential area in Hong Kong? It was probably smuggled in from another country as a pet when it was a baby and later escaped or was abandoned because of its size.

• Based on Context and Glossary, where could the crocodile have come from? It might be from a household in the neighbourhood that used to keep the crocodile as a pet / It could have been illegally imported from a Southeast Asian country where it is native.

Cartoon:

• Using your own knowledge, what do the words “Happy Hong Kong” refer to? The government’s Happy Hong Kong tourism campaign

• Why would the senior officer on the left be afraid of having “dangerous reptiles roaming around happy Hong Kong”? It would be a menace to villagers and Hongkongers in general, and it would conflict with the ongoing Happy Hong Kong campaign which aims to help Hongkongers find happiness in the city, stimulate local consumption and boost the economy. It harms the positive image that comes with the campaign.

• Besides being dangerous to humans, what is another reason why it was important to capture the crocodile? Explain using information from Context. The crocodile is not native to Hong Kong, and so it may harm native species of animals.

News:

• Explain ONE reason for and ONE reason against housing the newly discovered Siamese crocodile with Pui Pui at the Wetland Park. For: it may provide company for each crocodile, as otherwise they may be lonely. Against: crocodiles are solitary animals and they may not get on well together.

• To what extent do you agree that Hong Kong’s exotic pet trade laws are insufficient? Use Context and News to explain. To some extent I agree with this, because exotic pets are still sometimes found in Hong Kong, so the law against their trade is not working. (accept other reasonable answers).

Issue:

• Why do you think people are so keen to keep endangered or vulnerable animals as pets? Some people see it as a status symbol to keep endangered, exotic animals as pets. / Some believe consuming parts of endangered animals can have medical or health benefits. / Some people are simply unaware of the risks and ethical concerns involved in owning them.

• Use Context, News and Issue to explain TWO actions the government could take to stop the illegal trade in endangered species. The government should introduce stiffer controls on importing endangered animals, and enforce the existing laws on the trade of endangered animal products.