Hong Kong  - A restaurant chef ended up in hospital as a turtle bit his foot to escape the cooking pot in a Hong Kong restaurant, a news report said Tuesday.

The 60-centimetre wattle-necked, soft-shelled turtle sank its teeth into the chef's foot, during a dash for freedom as it was about to be put in boiling water on Monday, the South China Morning Post reported.

The chef was taken to hospital with a suspected broken toe, while the turtle - a delicacy worth hundreds of US dollars - was put back in a cage, having successfully won a temporary reprieve.

The owner of the restaurant in Hong Kong's Shau Kei Wan district told the newspaper that the turtle, eaten for it supposed medicinal value, would now be cooked and served up on Thursday. (dpa)