A two-metre crocodile, captured by Hong Kong conservation officers at a village in the New Territories about four hours after it was first spotted on Sunday in the yard of a house, has been sent to Ocean Park.

Two reptile experts said they believed the female crocodile had been smuggled into the city as a pet, and urged the government to ramp up regulations on the trade in exotic animals.

The unusual discovery was made on Sunday by a resident of Lin Fa Tei, a village in Pat Heung in the northwestern part of the city, who saw it near a neighbour’s house and reported it to police at 12.53pm.