- Title: THAILAND: FAMILY KEEP CROCODILE AS A PET
- Date: 28th August 2002
- Summary: PHICHIT PROVINCE, THAILAND (AUGUST 28, 2002) (REUTERS) SLV WATTANA THONGJON COMING HOME FROM SCHOOL WIDE OF WATTANA PLAYING IN FRONT OF HIS HOUSE SMV WATTANA SMV PRAYOON THONGJON OPENING FRONT DOOR OF HIS HOUSE CLOSE OF "KHENG" THE CROCODILE SITTING UNDER CHAIR SMV PET DOGS WATCHING PRAYTOON PULLING CROCODILE OUT INTO ROOM VARIOUS, PRAYOON WASHING THE CROCODILE WITH HOSE C
- Embargoed: 12th September 2002 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PHICHIT PROVINCE, THAILAND
- Country: Thailand
- Topics: Environment,Quirky,People,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA4I8N71ZHXNLTZI1CJY03A8YPL
- Story Text: It's not the kind of creature most people would want to share a bed with, but a 10-year-old boy in Thailand has found he sleeps better with his pet crocodile by his side.
His friends have pet dogs, pet cats, even pet rats, but Wattana Thongjon shares his home with a more dangerous kind of animal -- a pet crocodile.
He found "Kheng" in a pond near his home in Phichit Province, north of Bangkok, three years ago and decided to keep the animal as a pet. Little did he know that the cute freshwater croc would grow to weigh 40 kilograms and measure more than one metre long.
It's not easy taking care of the prehistoric beast. Kheng needs to be washed, his teeth brushed before bed, and there's also the task of feeding him.
"Dangerous animals like this, if we have a chance to live and develop good relationships with them, can become a member of our family," said Wattana's father, Prayoon.
Prayoon says the key to making Kheng happy is to play with him twice a day.
"I want to take care of him in a different way. Wild animals are easy to find but friendly wild animals are difficult to find. I have raised him to be friendly. I don't care for him just like a crocodile, but as if he was my son,"
he said.
Unlike most crocodiles, Kheng can't swim. Prayoon says he did try to teach the animal to swim a few times in a nearby canal, but Kheng gave up after swallowing a few gallons of water.
What the crocodile prefers to do is to watch television in the evening with his owners and their pet dogs.
Thailand's Nation newspaper quoted wildlife officials as expressing concern over keeping crocodiles as pets, saying they could become aggressive during mating season or when hungry.
Earlier this month, a woman was killed after jumping into a pool full of crocodiles in front of scores of horrified tourists at a wildlife park near Bangkok.
She was swarmed by scores of the animals, and park workers were able to retrieve her body only after about 20 minutes.
Authorities have determined it was a suicide attempt. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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