In this channel, we have covered all about farming huge demand animals and livestock
but today we bring you a unique farming that’s only just gotten popular in recent years,
Crocodile Farming. But before we start be sure to like and subscribe
to our channel for more videos like this. Though it’s not widely known, we have done
all the research to provide you with accurate information. So stick around till the end
so you don’t miss out on anything. Crocodile Farming, this farming lacks the
vast history that surrounds other animals but it’s just as impactful. It became popular
around the 1970s when finally the growing demands of crocodile skin could not be sustained
by wild farming. At first, it was primarily for the skin that
Crocodiles were farmed, but the farmers soon made their use as any other livestock. The
demand for both the meat and the skin remains growing to this date.
From a survey done in 2016, it was revealed that 4000-5000 crocodile farm exists to this
date. It varies from small size farm holding a few crocodiles to a high-investment farm
with 100,000 animals. For this video, we are taking a trip down
to the swamp where the farming ultimately begins.
The whole process of Crocodile Farming kick starts when they go to collect the eggs from
the crocodile’s nest. Female crocodiles are known to guard their off-springs aggressively
so it’s important to make sure that the mother is nowhere near the nest when this
process is taking place. The eggs are very prone to breaking, it could
crack and break even if it’s jostled lightly which is why farmers use a bag or basket similar
to their nest to bring the eggs back to the farm.
Female crocodiles tend to lay 15-20 eggs at a time, so a trip around the swamp should
be enough to collect enough eggs for farming. This method of breeding depends on the surrounding
of the farm along with the capacity. This method of ranching is only possible if the
farm is situated in the wild or near a crocodile-infested river or swamp.
For the big farms that require large-scale production, they use captive breeding, the
production of eggs from a captive adult in a controlled environment.
After they are brought to the farm, they are kept in a temperature-controlled incubator
where they stay till they are ready for hatching. This process varies from farm to farm some
store away their eggs into the incubator just as they are brought while others like to individually
inspect the eggs and discard the dead and infertile eggs.
The incubator room is heavily monitored to make sure the eggs are doing well at the set
temperature. If done right, the hatching success rate goes up to 80%
When the hatching begins it is important to check the first hatch to determine if the
remaining eggs are ready for hatching or should be left undisturbed for a few more days.
In some cases, the hatching of the first one triggers the hatching of others even if they
are not fully internalized. In this case, the hatchlings may be kept in an incubator.
Some hatchlings have trouble getting out of their eggs, in the wild the female takes care
of it by mouthing the eggs, but here they are aided by the humans who keep an eye on
the whole process. Hatchlings are then checked individually to
determine their health, dividing healthy ones from the sickly ones.
While the healthy crocodiles are washed and taken to the manmade habitat to begin their
journey, the sickly ones are returned to the incubator where they stay till they become
healthy enough to let loose. They are provided with extra care and medication
to increase their survival rate but the mortality rate of a sick hatchling is pretty high.
Some farms leave their Hatchlings in the incubator for an added 2-7 days regardless they are
weak or strong, it is to determine a higher survival rate.
The new crocodiles like to swim in the water, thanks to their natural instinct, and so they
are kept in a low-level controlled water area for the first few days where the newborns
are first fed. Their feeding largely consists of minced or
finely diced red meat, which comes from either pig or chicken. Or they are also provided
with fish with supplements. Being carnivorous animals, they must stock up on red meat to
grown healthy. They are fed daily in the post-hatching period
but the feeding is gradually reduced to 4-5 days per week depending on their size.
This is mainly why Crocodile farming is very expensive and requires big investments, the
cost that racks up from feeding red meat every day is huge.
Tons of meat is used per day in big production farms, they are minced in a barn and later
supplied all over the farm. Farms usually have a machine helping them with this job.
As the crocodiles grow in size and age, the meat is less chopped and contains bigger pieces.
After spending few weeks in the water, they are moved to their cages. When farming crocodiles,
farmers have to keep in mind that they are very aggressive creatures and that can lead
to fighting among themselves. It’s not just fatal for the crocodile, risking
death or infection, it is also not good for their skin to have bite marks and scratches,
which reduces its commercial value. They are separated into groups and are kept
in a quiet environment to avoid stress or trigger any aggressive behavior. They also
can’t regulate their body temperature so they must be raised in a good environment
with a decent water source to keep their temperature regulated.
They are placed in different cages depending on their weight and are fed every day. They
gradually continue to grow and shift groups according to their weight.
Diseases are another thing to look out for, while crocodiles have high disease resistance,
a disease outbreak can still be problematic and can cause high mortality rates. While
other parasite or bacteria that enter the crocodile is not as harmful to their health
but severely affects the quality of their skin.
In case of disease spread, antibiotics are prescribed by vets which are mixed with the
food and fed to all, reducing the possible spread.
Crocodiles have the habit of turning protein into bodyweight and so we see their rapid
growth in the first two years. During this time they bulk up body fat and their skin
grows healthy from the supplements and red meat.
They grow very slowly after the first growth spurt which is why most crocodiles are harvested
within 2years. Now they are ready to be sent off – after
a quick health check, they are ready to be departed for the slaughterhouse.
This final process is not any easier, this process is done keeping the safety of workers
in mind seeing as they are dealing with grown crocodiles now.
The restraining of the crocodiles can be done by tightly wrapping their jaw and covering
their eyes, this can difficult as the crocodile stresses and struggle.
The transporting is another feat, as extra care is needed to avoid dehydration, overheating,
overcooling, and struggling. Some farm even uses immobilizing agents to calm the crocodiles
during the transport. Once reached the slaughterhouse, the process
of production immediately begins again. First, the crocodiles are immobilized before slaughter
to make it as quick and painless as possible. There are few ways to immobilize them but
electro-stunning or euthanasia is a widely used method that makes them go unconscious
and causes death with minimal pain. The first and most important part is to remove
the skin safely and even after all these years this method is trusted to human hands.
Once the skin is safely removed it’s sent off for the tanning and curing process followed
by a lengthy production process which is quite lengthy and time taking.
The body is given off for the meat production process. The legs and head are removed from
the body and the rest are divided into shapely pieces that are later into packaging after
a thorough quality check. This process is mainly done manually, very
little machinery is used for this. But in turn, the production houses must hire very
competent tasks to get the job done. After the quality check, the food is immediately
packaged, weighed, and ready for shipping. The demand for crocodile meat is still sparse
but if sold in the right place it can be sold both domestically and internationally.
The best selling product of the crocodile is its skin which is sold both domestically
and in the international market. Products made of crocodile skins are very
expensive and are often seen in designer brands. They are used for making several products
like belts, wallets, bags, and shoes. The demand for these products is what’s
keeping crocodile farming alive. But it is also important to give back where
you are taking from, and so a part of the crocodiles are released in nature to maintain
a natural balance. When they are first left to their natural
habitat after living on a farm, it can be a little difficult for them at first but many
survive due to their instinct. To keep track of them the farm issues marking on their tails
similar to clipping. This is called alligator farming.
This is where they let crocodiles develop into alligators in the natural environment,
this is important to keep their farms going. When the crocodiles mature and reach sexual
maturity, they lay eggs and the cycle continues all over again.
With the growing demands for crocodile meat globally farms like these need to exist to
meet the demand. Countries like China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong demand high export of crocodile
meat, nearly 85% of the meat in Africa is exported by them. About 70,000 live crocodilians
are exported for farming each year. Africa and Kenya are the leading producers
of crocodile meat. In Kenya, almost 33,000 crocodiles are living in a 110miles space.
But with all the safety measures and precautions taken, dealing with wild animals is still
unpredictable, so this is a dangerous industry to be in.
Now that you know all the insider secrets of the crocodile farming industry, what are
your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comment, thank you for
watching the video. See you next time!