Siamese crocodile eggs recovered at Lincolnshire park Published duration 4 May 2019

image copyright Other image caption Scar and Hayley arrived to the wildlife park from the UK's only crocodile zoo in Oxford

Staff at a wildlife park have managed to recover eggs laid by a pair of endangered Siamese crocodiles.

Woodside Wildlife Park in Lincolnshire is part of an international breeding programme for the animals.

Keeper Ben Pascoe said it was the second attempt at recovering the eggs after they were spotted on Thursday.

Crocodiles Scar and Hayley were lured into a pool before it was drained, allowing keepers to move the eggs to an incubated and controlled environment.

They said it would give the eggs the best chance of hatching.

Mr Pascoe said: "We got in and out and I still have both my arms and legs!"

image copyright Other image caption Staff at Woodside Wildlife Park drained a pool leaving the crocodiles stranded in order to recover newly-laid eggs

He added that the Siamese crocodiles - native to parts of Asia - were very rare and it was vital to do everything possible to help the survival of the species.

The eggs were in a flower bed in the enclosure, and would now have a much better chance.

"It will be a massive thing for us if we get some baby crocodiles," he said.

There are thought to be less than 1,000 mature adults left in the wild.

If successful, any offspring will be allocated to other collections as the crocodiles are part of an international breeding programme.

The crocodiles are housed in a glasshouse built in honour of British explorer Sir Joseph Banks, which was moved from its original site in Lincoln in 2016.

It houses numerous exotic animals and plants associated with the travels of the explorer.