in other news:
Vietnam hunts escaped
crocodiles
Thousands of crocodiles were housed at the farm
Soldiers and villagers are hunting for hundreds of crocodiles
washed away from a farm after floods in central Vietnam.
The reptiles were swept away on Saturday when a flash flood knocked
down a fence at a crocodile farm in Khanh Hoa province, officials
said.
At least seven of the animals have been shot or recaptured, media
reports said, but no-one yet knows how many escaped.
About 5,000 crocodiles lived on the farm. They are reared in
Vietnam for their skin and meat.
Forest rangers, soldiers and militiamen have been searching for the
creatures since they were washed away from the farm, apparently
into a nearby stream.
Vietnam has been badly hit by flooding this year
Local official Nguyen Ngoc Hoa told the BBC how people had rushed
to the scene in the hope of catching the animals and earning a
reward.
"One would be paid 100,000 dong ($6; £3) for one baby crocodile,
and 20,000 dong for 1kg [2.2lb] of the grown-up creature," he
said.
"People are actively involved in the hunt as the pay-back is far
greater than one day of their work payment."
Vietnam has been hit by severe seasonal weather in recent
weeks.
A series of storms has brought high winds and heavy rain to the
central and northern parts of the country, triggering flooding and
landslides.
More than 200 people have been killed since early October and more
heavy rainfall is expected, forecasters say.
(source: BBC)
