How Are Crocodiles Farmed? A Detailed Explanation of the Latest Scientific Farming Techniques
Crocodiles are, in our impression, rather vicious animals, and this is not simply because we are prejudiced from the start, but because whether on television or in the zoo, crocodiles always give us the impression of being fierce. In fact, some farmers have now begun to farm crocodiles.
The Latest Scientific Crocodile Farming Techniques
1. Pond Facilities
(1) Crocodiles are farmed in earthen ponds, with a total area of 225 mu, each pond with an area of 1-2 mu, a flat pond bottom, silt ≤20CM, and a water depth of 1--1.5 m. A 1-meter-high wall surrounds the ponds to prevent crocodiles from escaping and outsiders from entering. The ratio of water surface to land area inside the wall is about 1:1, which is conducive to crocodile growth.
(2) Forage fish (tilapia, silver carp, bighead carp) are farmed in earthen ponds, with a total area of 165 mu, each pond with an area of 8-10 mu, a flat pond bottom, silt ≤20 cm, and a water depth of 1.5--2 m.
2. Selection of Crocodile Species The main species farmed are the Siamese crocodile, Nile crocodile, and saltwater crocodile.
3. Pond Clearing and Disinfection After the ponds are drained and the bottom is sun-dried, quicklime is used to clear and disinfect the ponds and regulate water quality before fry are released.
4. Water Quality Monitoring The base has established a quality control working group responsible for quality and safety monitoring. In particular, strict control measures are implemented for the surrounding environment of the base's farming waters. Personnel of the base's quality control group must pay close attention to whether pesticide spraying on surrounding farmland, water sources, and changes in water quality endanger the base's farming production. Fishery administration and environmental protection departments actively cooperate, and once a pollution incident is discovered, remedial measures are taken promptly to prevent impact on the base's production. We commissioned the Guangdong Provincial Fishery Quality Supervision and Inspection Center to conduct a "Pollution-Free Agricultural Product Production Area Environmental Quality Status Assessment Report" on the base's water body and surrounding environment. The report concluded that the water quality used for farming at this base meets the requirements of the "Pollution-Free Food - Freshwater Aquaculture Water Quality" (NY5051-2001).
5. Selection of Fry
① Select healthy, disease-free, inspected and qualified crocodile seedlings that are self-bred and cultivated or imported from Thailand for stocking.
② Select healthy, disease-free seedlings of tilapia, silver carp, bighead carp, and others for stocking.
6. Stocking Density Stock 200-300 crocodile fry with a body length of 30—100 cm (3—10 kg) per mu, and stock forage fish (tilapia, silver carp, bighead carp) at conventional densities, harvesting the large and leaving the small.
7. Feeding Method
① All crocodiles are fed self-farmed, fresh, live forage fish (tilapia, silver carp, bighead carp), and the ponds are regularly refilled with fresh water. Harvest the large and leave the small, that is, when crocodiles reach more than 30 kg each, they are captured for processing and sale, and those that do not reach market size continue to be graded and farmed.
② The feed for tilapia, silver carp, and bighead carp is mainly mixed feed, corn, wheat bran, and so on, fed scientifically, with regular use of quicklime, beneficial microbial bacteria, and water quality improvers, equipped with aerators and pumps for oxygenation and water exchange. Harvest the large and leave the small, that is, those that reach forage size are captured and provided to crocodiles as feed, and those that do not reach size continue to be graded and farmed.
The Significance of Crocodile Farming
1. Biological Significance
Crocodiles are rare animals in the world, with a life history of more than 200 million years, and are close relatives of dinosaurs. Their physiological functions are peculiar and their vitality is tenacious. When dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago, crocodiles survived and have reproduced and evolved to this day. Crocodiles have a substance in their bodies that can optimize nucleic acids. This substance makes nucleic acids full of vitality, strengthens disease resistance, and at the same time activates catalase and SOD in the body, effectively removing waste from the body, thereby delaying aging and allowing them to live longer than turtles and soft-shelled turtles, with an average lifespan of up to 150 years.
The amino acid chains of hemoglobin in crocodile muscle have a very peculiar structure, making the oxygen-carrying capacity of crocodile hemoglobin more than 100 times that of other animals. Therefore, although crocodiles breathe with lungs, their ability to hold their breath underwater is far superior to that of whales and dolphins. Therefore, fresh fish farming is carried out. It is of great significance for studying biological evolution, reproducing endangered animals, expanding their populations and numbers, protecting the ecological environment, and exploring the role of their special physiology in human medicine.
2. Economic Value
The whole body of the crocodile is a treasure, and it has the reputation of being soft gold. Modern scientific research shows that crocodile meat, bones, and internal organs are rich in protein and amino acids, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and various rare biological elements needed by the human body. They are nutritious and delicious, can nourish qi and blood, strengthen tendons and bones, and improve human immunity.
Crocodile meat is both a delicacy and a good medicine for treating asthma and other conditions; crocodile eggs, tail glue, internal organs, bones, and tongue are all excellent anti-freeze and beauty health products; the reproductive organ of the male crocodile is a special-effect aphrodisiac and kidney-tonifying medicine. Crocodile skin is high in price and of superior quality, and can be made into leather bags, belts, handbags, and leather shoes, etc., valued at thousands to tens of thousands of yuan, and is much loved by people. Therefore, carrying out crocodile farming can promote the development of the food industry, leather industry, medical and health care industry, and beauty industry.
3. Tourism and Sightseeing
In addition to high economic value, crocodiles also have extremely attractive ornamental value. Establishing a fresh fish viewing park can not only change people's traditional view of crocodiles, but tourists can also observe the living habits of crocodiles such as egg hatching, growth, and mating while touring, increase their animal knowledge, and also watch thrilling human-crocodile wrestling performances, truly integrating tourism, knowledge, and fun. Therefore, carrying out crocodile farming and closely combining it with the tourism and sightseeing industry will certainly achieve good economic and social benefits.
The External Characteristics of Crocodiles
According to archaeological findings, the largest crocodiles reached a body length of 12 m and weighed nearly 10 tons, but existing large species of crocodiles have an average body length of more than 3 m and weigh about 100 kg or more. The jaws are strong and powerful, with many conical teeth, the legs are short, with claws, and the toes are webbed. The tail is long and heavy, and the skin is thick with scales.
The Habitat Environment of Crocodiles
They live in freshwater (the saltwater crocodile can live in seawater). Apart from a few that live in temperate regions, most crocodiles live in rivers, lakes, and watery swamps in tropical and subtropical regions, and some live in shallows near the coast.
It turns out that crocodile farming is of great significance in biology, economics, and tourism. In biology, farming crocodiles can expand the crocodile population; in economics, basically every part of the crocodile has a special use, which will benefit humanity in the economic field; and in tourism and sightseeing, crocodiles in the zoo will also attract more tourists to visit.