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

The famous Yuen Long crocodile will be named "Pui Pui" in English following a naming competition that 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.

The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department said 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.

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 the female reptile.

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 the department and the Radio Television Hong Kong. Each of the six winners will be awarded a $1,000 book coupon.