Crocodile lying on the shore of the river. Photo: Sina Weibo

An 80-centimeter crocodile spotted in Shanghai's Huangpu River has been finally caught by police after local authorities searched both the river and its side and for six consecutive days.

The crocodile has attracted a lot of attention online after it appeared out of place in a river in Shanghai and escaped repeated captures by local police. The crocodile was finally found at the bank of the river on the afternoon of September 25.

The creature was identified as a Siamese crocodile, which is aggressive and mainly distributed across Southeast Asia. Authorities also pointed out earlier that since there is no natural distribution of crocodiles in Shanghai, the occurrence of this one is largely the result of discarding, releasing or escaping from its breeding base.

Considering public safety, police have worked with a number of relevant departments to formulate a series of rescue plans, including setting up nets in areas where the crocodile is commonly spotted and placing frozen fish around the area as bait, and finally managed to catch the crocodile without harming it.

At present, the crocodile has been sent to the aquatic wildlife shelter and rescue base in Shanghai to be cared for by professionals.