*****************************************

The now famous Yuen Long crocodile will be named "Pui Pui" in English following a naming competition that has attracted about 1,600 entries.

"Pui Pui" is a transliteration of the Chinese characters in the crocodile's Chinese name, which is a pun indicating that it came from Shan Pui River and is the apple of the public's eye.

A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said today (August 12) that the enthusiastic response to the competition, which saw about 1,000 suggestions in Chinese and 600 in English, underscored the strong public affection for the crocodile.

The name "Pui Pui" is among the six winning entries (three English and three Chinese) selected by a five-member panel, comprising scholar and writer Dr Louis Cha; singer Leo Ku; AFCD Deputy Director Mr Lau Sin-pang; Head of Radio 3 at RTHK Mr Bryan Curtis; and Senior Education Officer at the Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden (KFBG) Ms Regina Chow.

Emerging top in the general public category of the competition, "Pui Pui" and its Chinese-character counterpart were also considered by the panel to be the best names for the crocodile.

Describing the name as "interesting, lovely and easy to remember", the panel considered it suitable for a female crocodile found in Shan Pui River.

The other two winning English entries were "Cro Co" in the secondary school students category and "Crocostar" in the primary school students category.

The naming competition was organised by AFCD and the RTHK Radio-2 programme, Morning Suite. Each of the six winners will be awarded a $1,000 book coupon.

The crocodile is at present under the expert care of KFBG. It will eventually be housed in Wetland Park, which is scheduled for completion by the end of next year.

Ends/Thursday, August 12, 2004

NNNN