Last weekend, we embarked on a unique adventure to Singapore's last surviving crocodile farm with my 3- and 6-year-old children. Given we don't know how the local farming landscape (animal + agriculture) would look in the years to come, it's a privilege for us to have had this experience interacting with prehistoric creatures.
For the children, it was an eye-opening tour with many "firsts" and sensorial inputs. For us grownups, it was a tour that left us with thought-provoking reflections.
A Glimpse into Crocodile Life
The tour began with a demonstration of crocodile feeding. It was interesting to see the social dynamics among the crocodiles as they fed.
Then, a walkthrough of the farm’s Rearing Pens and Breeder Ponds, where Robin the farm owner (giving the informative tour) shared about crocodiles' life stages, ratio of male to female crocodiles, nesting habits, breeding traits etc.
We watched Robin's workers toss feathered chickens to the crocodiles in the breeding pond, as feathered chickens would float at the water surface and be eaten by the crocodiles instead of sinking to the bottom to rot.
Robin showed us how unfertilized crocodile eggs looked, passing one to the crowd to take turns examining. He also cracked one open to allow us to study the insides of a crocodile egg on a plate. Visitors were free to touch the egg, the closest water dispenser is without soap so I would recommend to bring your own or use a hand sanitizer.
Next, one of the highlights of the tour - being able to feed the crocodiles ourselves with raw chicken parts. We were given simple instructions like tossing chicken parts as close to the crocodiles' mouths as possible, as they were not food motivated to go after food that's out of reach. If the chicken parts landed on the wire meshes, we were to leave them for our own safety, the farm workers would help to retrieve. Also, to prioritize feeding the crocodiles in the water first, because they are more alpha and would only allow shore crocodiles to feed only after they had their fill.
Disposable plastic gloves were provided to all feeders. Note they're a one-size-fit, so bring your own kid-sized gloves so they fit better for younger children. My toddler wasn't able to grasp chicken parts properly from the box due to poor glove fit, but my elder child solved the problem by taking two and placing one directly on my toddler's palm.
Finally, we were fortunate to be the last batch of visitors who could see baby crocodiles in the crocodile incubator, and gently hold baby crocodiles in our hands! @northshoreloft (ig) shared that they had the opportunity to see crocodiles hatch, and were even invited to cut the umbilical cords.
There was a long line of visitors taking turns to hold the baby crocodiles. That gave my children time to observe, and muster the courage to try the experience on their turn. Both of them said the crocodile's claws were a little uncomfortable on their palms, but enjoyed the experience so much that they asked to hold the crocodiles again and again several times. Robin's team was amazing, they demonstrated gentle hands with the baby crocodiles, and were so patient with the children's requests.
Educational Tidbits: Crocodile Biology and Sustainability
During the tour, we learned fascinating facts about crocodiles. One interesting point was that temperature determines the gender of the crocodiles during the incubation period of their eggs. Lower temperatures typically produce females, while higher temperatures result in males. It’s amazing how such a small detail in nature can shape the future of an entire population. It also made me wonder the extent of climate change impact on crocodile population.
Towards the end of the tour, Robin shared how they had an in-house tannery for processing and preserving crocodile skins.
This was the part I felt some discomfort, knowing the crocodiles we've seen are reared for their skin and meat. Robin addressed this by sharing how the farm also rehomes rescued crocodiles that live out their natural lifespan in the farm. He also shared about his farm's efforts towards sustainability.
We discovered that no part of the crocodile goes to waste—skins are used for leather products, meat is sold as a nutritious delicacy, even crocodile oil is extracted and refined as a natural remedy for aches, pains and sores.
Towards the end of the tour, samples of crocodile herbal soup was served, along with crocodile jerky. We didn't try, so I don't have any inkling of the taste or texture. Visitors were given the chance to buy products like frozen crocodile bones, frozen crocodile meat, jerky and crocodile oil.
The tour ended with short video clips showing how farm personnel round up crocodiles.
Final Thoughts
I would recommend as a follow-up, a trip to Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve (located nearby coincidentally!) to see wild crocodiles in their natural habitat. We were fortunate to get a sighting of a family of wild crocodiles with Young Nautilus.
Having both these experiences would give us the opportunity to reflect how these animals live in captivity and in the wild, offering a broader view of conservation and human interaction with wildlife.
I would also recommend to pair this experience with informative or memorable reads about crocodiles, to deepen the learning.
My children asked for a re-read of this page from 语言表达第一课 Language Expression set because it had hilarious personifications of crocodiles.
Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm Tour
Address: 321 Neo Tiew Crescent Singapore 718914
Sign up on farm website: here
2 time slots: 9.30am and 3.30pm (newly released)
Our tour size was 52 pax during the weekend 3.30pm slot.
(note: witnessing the hatching of baby crocodiles is subject to availability.)
General advice: My toddler is sensitive to smells, there were parts of the tour when he gagged and pinched his nose. I would recommend to bring along fans and perhaps essential oil drops to help mask odors.
