A Tail Of Teeth

Crocs, Flatdogs, Knobbly Jobs – these are just some of the nicknames we have for these reptiles which, according to the scientists, have not changed for millions of years. And like all reptiles, they hold a certain fascination, just as long as they don’t get too close. So when I was asked by Gavin from the Guesthouse whether I wanted to take a look around the croc farm in Sinazongwe, there was no saying no, although I have visited croc farms before.

First stop was the hatchery. Unfortunately, the last of the eggs had hatched a couple of days previously but there were still some baby crocs which would be transferred some time in the future to the nursery and eventually the growing pens. I declined the offer to hold one of them, but I guess they’re about 10 inches long and don’t be misled by these cute little things – even at this young age, they are already practicing snapping their jaws. For health reasons, the nursery is completely off limits (as is the abattoir)

In the growing pens are thousands of crocs, all about two feet long, all lolling about either in the shallow water or on the edges of the ponds. Gazing at them from outside the pen, they all looked very peaceful, but I certainly would not have considered taking a walk amongst them.

From the growing pens, they are transferred to the finishing pens. These pens are completely flooded with water to a depth of a few inches and their purpose is to get the skin to the right quality for eventual tanning. On the day I visited, they were taking crocs out, checking their skins and if all was in order, they were being sent to the abattoir. At this stage, the crocs are, I would guess, between three and four foot long.

As I said, the abattoir is off limits and quite understandably so. But it is here that the crocs are slaughtered and the meat goes into enormous freezers for export to South Africa and from there on to the rest of the world. The skins are salted on the farm and are eventually exported where they are tanned and manufactured into shoes, belts and handbags.

From this very busy operational centre, we took a short drive to the breeding dam. Although this is a man-made dam, it could well be a natural dam with all the trees around it and the abundant bird life. It is, as expected, very well fenced off and all gates are securely locked. It was here that I witnessed what is the highlight of the tour – feeding the breeding stock. For this, two vehicles are needed; the front vehicle has the food and the second vehicle is where you sit. As you proceed, large chunks of meat are thrown off at the feeding stations. And this is the frightening part … in an instant, from these calm waters, burst hundreds of monster-sized crocs, their jaws snapping closed round the chunks of meat which disappear down their throats in no time at all.

Of course, after the first lot of food has been thrown out, the message ripples through the water (who says animals can’t communicate) and when you reach subsequent feeding stations, the crocs are waiting at the edge of the water for you to arrive.

Last stop in this section (and of the tour) is a peninsula jutting out into the breeding dam. Here one can get out of the car and stand within a metre of these creatures whilst they are being fed. Of course, it is all perfectly safe and the staff have sticks etc with which they keep the crocs away from their clients.. But I took at look at the crocs approaching from behind me, then took a look at my legs and decided that, awful as they are, I would rather keep them attached to my body than see them disappearing down the gullet of a croc, so I gracefully returned to the vehicle.

Zongwe is the largest Nile crocodile farm in the world and they have about 1,400 breeding crocs and about 100,000 other crocs in various stages of growth. What impressed me most was the neatness and tidiness of the pens – all laid out in neat rows; pens covered with plastic like greenhouses, temperature-control fans whirring away. Being a farmer’s daughter, I have visited many farms and most have a higgledy-piggledy appearance but not this one. And it is sitting right here on our doorstep.

I can certainly recommend a visit to Zongwe. In fact, I think that one would need multiple visits to take in all that one learns. And what an opportunity – to see these reptiles up close and personal rather than as one sees them in the wild, disappearing quietly into the water.