Jun 15, 2008, 8:24 GMT
Phnom Penh - A Cambodian teen who tried to capture an escaped crocodile to sell for money found himself hospitalized with 25 stitches and lucky to be alive, police said Sunday.
Chea Hak, 16, a school student, tried to capture the animal after he saw it in a local pond when his mother sent him to wash dishes, police in central Kampong Chhnang district said.
The reptile mauled the boy's left thigh and right hand badly before friends could pull him free.
It was the second reported crocodile attack in a week. A student in Siem Reap province, 400 kilometres north of the capital, is still missing after being last seen taking a short cut to school through a crocodile farm.
Police said the Kampong Chhnang crocodile, thought to have escaped a local crocodile farm, was still free and enjoying pond life because local entrepreneurs hesitated to tangle with it again.
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