Crocodiles Worth Rs 4.7 Crore Put Up For Sale In Unusual Chinese Auction

Around 100 tonnes of Siamese crocodiles have been put up for auction by a Chinese court for a starting price of Rs 4.7 crore (four million yuan), albeit with a caveat. The auction officially launched on March 10 and is expected to continue until May 9 with prospective buyers informed that they will have to pick the reptiles up in person and cover all the costs, including weighing, loading and transportation, according to a report in South China Morning Post.

The buyers must also hold an artificial needing license for aquatic wildlife under the crocodile category and have the necessary facilities, and transport capabilities to handle such a large consignment.

As per the last update, over 4,000 people had viewed the auction page on Alibaba's Judicial Auction platform but no one had registered to participate in it. Notably, the crocodiles up for auction were previously owned by Guangdong Hongyi Crocodile Industry Company, which was founded in 2005 by Mo Junrong.

Once called the "Crocodile God", Mo had to let go of the reptiles after his company failed to meet financial obligations, prompting the court to attempt to liquidate the assets, which included the crocodiles.

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Crocodile farms

Crocodiles are bred in China for their skin and meat, which is used in traditional medicine, cosmetics, leather goods and even wine. The Siamese crocodile species has been on China's list of wild animals that can be commercially farmed and traded since 2003.

The decision by Shenzhen Nanshan People's Court to auction off the crocodiles comes in the backdrop of previous attempts not yielding the desired result. In January and February, the court held two auctions with a higher auction price, but both events failed.

The unusual auction has attracted widespread public attention on Chinese social media platforms with many questioning the practicality of the entire exercise.

"It is so scary. I wonder who will actually buy them?" said one user while another joked: "This is not for an ordinary person. You will need a whole industry to handle them."

In November last year, as many as 70 crocodiles escaped a commercial farm in the city of Maoming in Guangdong province after a typhoon dumped heavy rain in the region. Images and videos going viral on social media showed several beasts lying on the road.

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