A woman unexpectedly made friends with a wild alligator that paid her a visit for two consecutive days and kept her company while she was fishing at a local pond.

Ms Nie told of her unusual encounter when she first visited the fishing spot in Jing County, in eastern China's Anhui Province, on the morning of September 24.

While she was bending down to prepare the bait, she suddenly noticed a large animal floating not far from her in the water.

Ms Nie said: 'At first, I was startled, but then I realised it was a Yangtze alligator.'

The alligator's head was above the water, half of its body floating, completely still. Seeing how calm and seemingly not threatening the creature was, the woman peacefully tossed the bait in the water and sat down by the bank.

Meanwhile, the gator remained close-by, apparently curious about her presence and kept her company as she fished.

Ms Nie apparently warmed up to the reptile and took out her phone to film a video of it lurking nearby. She even named the alligator Han Han.

The next day, when she returned to the fishing spot, she saw the same alligator lazily swimming in the water at the same location.

Ms Nie said: 'I've fished here before, but it's the first time I've encountered a Yangtze alligator.'

She is a local resident of Jing County, where there are several Yangtze alligator conservation areas.

She said people in the area are aware of these animals' gentle nature and know that they will not rush ashore from the water.

That is why Nie said she did not feel afraid. She added that the fishing spot is close to a reservoir, and besides the fish released by the owner, there are probably fish that swam over from the reservoir.

This alligator likely came from the reservoir. The owner of the fishing spot later also confirmed the presence of wild Yangtze alligators in the area.

She said they have been living there for three to four years and because they are a nationally protected animal, they have avoided trying to capture or disturb them in any way.

However, the owner added she makes sure to warn anglers of the alligators there and to avoid them if they encounter any.

The Yangtze alligator (Alligator sinensis), better known as the Chinese alligator, is a crocodilian species endemic to China. It is mainly found living in bodies of fresh water, and its range is restricted to six regions in the province of Anhui, but there have been reports of its sightings in the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

It is listed as critically endangered on the ICUN Red List, with about only 300 specimens left living in the wild as of 2017.