Cambodian Buddhist monks discovered someone had left them some unusual new pets when two young crocodiles were discovered in a pond at their temple.
The monks were not the only people to be alarmed at the discovery. The area police chief said the unusual guests had caused panic among local parents when they were discovered. The parents immediately declared swimming off-limits to their children, fearing a mother crocodile may not be far away.
"But after investigating the case, we think they may have just fallen off a truckload of the animals being transported to Phnom Penh from a crocodile farm and been placed in the pond by kind children who wanted them to be safe," he said.
However a man at the temple told local media he had seen another, larger animal at least 30cm wide, and he was not convinced the two half-meter animals were the only reptiles to have found a new home. He said he did not see how long the animal he saw was because it was semi-submerged.
The reptiles were removed from the pond and adopted by one of the monks, who is now feeding them at a specially made pool at his home.
Cambodians often dump unwanted pets such as cats and dogs at Buddhist temples, but crocodiles are generally only kept by local farmers to be grown and sold for their skins. (DPA)
柬埔寨的佛寺裡，比丘發現有人留下了不尋常的新寵物 -- 池塘裡的兩隻幼鱷。
1. What did the monks find in their pond?
a. A mother crocodile and her babies.
b. Two baby crocodiles.
c. A crocodile halfway underwater.
2. Who was alarmed by the crocodiles?
a. Guests at the temple.
b. The police.
c. Parents who live around the temple.
3. Where are the crocodiles now?
a. In a pond at the temple.
b. At a crocodile farm.
c. At the home of one of the monks.
4. Why do local farmers raise crocodiles?
a. So they can sell their skins.
b. To give them to monks as gifts.
c. To keep them as pets.