A resident at Thaketa Crocodile Farm smiles for the camera.

THE Thaketa Crocodile Farm in Yangon received seven baby crocodiles and 29 crocodile eggs from Tanintharyi Division on October 9, said U Ann Kyi, the assistant director of the farm’s Freshwater Research Section.

The crocodiles, of the Crocodylus siamensis species, had been caught in fishermen’s nets in Boke Pyin township in Tanintharyi Division’s Kawthoung District.

The fishermen turned the crocodiles over to the local township office of the Department of Fisheries. Officials there sent the seven reptiles to the crocodile farm in Yangon, which is run by the department.

“I’m happy to get these crocodiles because I want to preserve them,” U Ann Kyi said.

However, he said the eggs that had been sent were destroyed during shipment due to rupturing of the yolk sacs.

“If I had known in advance that they would send the eggs, I would have told them not to,” he said.

The 40-acre farm, which opened in 1997, hosts five ponds into which resident crocodiles are divided according to age: under two years old, under three years old, under six years old, under 10 years old and 10 years old and above.

The new crocodiles, each just 11 inches long, have been placed in the pond for the youngest reptiles, where they are fed shrimp twice a week, U Ann Kyi said, adding that the bigger crocodiles are fed fish.

The farm holds 661 crocodiles of the Crocodylus porosus and Crocodylus siamensis species. The third species found in Myanmar – Crocodylus palustris – is not represented at the farm.

“In August one of our Crocodylus porosus died and we found some gravel and rocks in its stomach,” U Ann Kyi said. “This is one of the main causes of death for crocodiles here. The other is when they fight each other and die from their injuries.”

He said crocodiles grow about one foot a year and are immune to infections after the age of two years.

“We can tell if a crocodile is male or female only after it reaches the age of about eight years. After the age of 10 years they grow very slowly. The longest crocodile at the farm is about 15 feet,” he said.

Meanwhile, the farm is also upgrading its facilities and the expertise of its staff in a bid to attract more visitors, U Ann Kyi said.

“We are renovating the bridge over the pond where we keep the biggest crocodiles so visitors can see them better,” he said, adding that he expected the project to be finished by the end of November at a total cost of more than K17 million.

“We also plan to send crocodiles experts abroad next year to learn how to deliver and nurse baby crocodiles, how to run a hatchery laboratory and how to hold crocodile shows for the public,” he said.

He said no crocodile experts from the farm have received overseas training since 1998.

“We are calculating the budget to realise our expansion plans, which include launching a crocodile show; making the farm more pleasant by adding flowers, benches and toilets; and installing a training area for crocodiles, a demonstration pond and a building where visitors can rest,” U Ann Kyi said.

The Thaketa Crocodile Farm brought in K1,346,440 from April to September this year, up from K382,280 during the same period in 2006, with the increase largely attributed to a rise in entrance fees last April.

Entrance fees for locals are now K200 for adults, K100 for children, K50 for bicycles, K100 for motorcycles and trishaws, and K200 for cars. For foreigners entrance costs K2000 for adults and K1000 for children.