SerpApi.Org
The police are looking for the owner of the juvenile Siamese crocodile — a critically endangered species — that was found abandoned in a stream in Yeoju, Gyeonggi.
The Yeoju Police Precinct is reviewing CCTV footage from the area around the Soyang Stream in Chang-dong, where the crocodile was captured, while also interviewing nearby residents and checking whether anyone in the area previously registered a Siamese crocodile as a captive wild animal, Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday.
If the former owner is identified, police will consider pursuing charges of abandonment under the Animal Protection Act. Law enforcement also plans to investigate how the crocodile came into the owner's possession, including the possibility of smuggling.
Fire authorities captured the crocodile last Saturday after receiving a report from a passerby. It measures about 50 centimeters (20 inches) in length.
“There is something like a pet crocodile,” the passerby reported.
The Yeoju city government took custody of the animal from fire services and has placed it under temporary care at a privately operated municipal animal shelter.
The National Institute of Biological Resources determined that the reptile was a juvenile Siamese crocodile based on photographs and video provided by the city.
The Siamese crocodile was once widespread across Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia, but its population has declined sharply because of poaching and climate change. It is not known to be native to Korea.
The Siamese crocodile is listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which covers species threatened with extinction.
Species listed under the Cites Appendix I cannot be captured, traded or owned without authorization, except for limited purposes such as scientific research. However, animals bred in Cites-registered facilities for research or similar purposes may be traded commercially if the necessary permits are obtained.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]
