Sources on Thursday said a woman was arrested on suspicion of being linked to the injured juvenile crocodile that was rescued by an animal welfare group on Wednesday.

The rescue came after police received a report at around 11.30am that day from a man who found the crocodile on the balcony of his flat in a building on Tai Po Road in the Sham Shui Po area.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals rescued the crocodile, which was suspected to have a leg injury.

Preliminary investigations showed that the crocodile came from the balcony of a neighbouring unit, sources said, so officers contacted its 35-year-old owner.

Police and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) officers entered the unit early on Thursday and found a large number of animals being kept inside, including several suspected endangered species.

The woman is believed to have been unable to provide valid permits for keeping the endangered animals or explain where they came from.

AFCD officers arrested the woman and seized the endangered animals.


Edited by Tony Sabine