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Leef in Gaiteng – Bylae tot Rapport 24 Mei 2009

Kies koers na krokodille se kuierplek

Christine van der Westhuizen

Krokodille lyk nog nie veel anders as 200 miljoen jaar gelede nie en het die dinosourusse sien kom en gaan.

Gautengers het die voorreg om die fassinerende prehistoriese diere op die krokodilplaas CrocCity in die oë te kyk.

Met die instap kry jy ‘n wriemelende baba-Nylkrokodil om vas te hou, en dan neem ‘n gids jou op ‘n toer na die plaas se drie krokodilkampe.

In die “kleuterskool” word die krokodille van 18 maande tot twee jaar gehou, die middelste dam is vir die krokodille van vyf tot sewe jaar, en dan is daar die “ouetehuis”, waar die groot kokkedore van 40 – 60 jaar hul laaste jare, waarskynlik nóg 40 tot 60 jaar, deurbring.

Die kamp het ‘n houtbrug, maklik toeganklik vir mense in rolstoele, waar die krokodille se knobbelvelle, webvoete en wrede ogies van naby beskou kan word.

Skep asem in die teetuin, waar ligte verversings bedien word, of gaan loer in by die winkeltjie, waar vakuumverpakte krokodilvleis, uiters gesogte krokodil-olie, krokodiltande en krokodilvelhandsakke verkoop word.

Anton en Marietjie Lötter van Croc City boer al sedert 1999 met krokodille. Sowat 3 000 krokodille word hier gehuisves.

Dit is ‘n gewilde plek vir kinderpartytjies, met ‘n ruim grasperk vir rondhardloop, ‘n klimraam, swaaie en ‘n springkasteel in die vorm van, raai? ‘n Krokodil!

CrocCity is in die Nietgedacht omgewing in Fourways geleë. Dit is daagliks van 09:00 tot 16:30 oop, en as jy Saterdag en Sondag om 14:00 in die omgewing is, gaan kyk hoe die krokodille gevoer word.

Toegang kos R45 vir volwassenes en R25 vir kinders onder 12.

Meer inligting by Telefoon:  083 657 7561,  083 321 1016 of www.croccity.co.za.

Prehistoriese jagter

• Die woord “krokodil” kom van die Griekse woord crocodiilos, wat “akkedis” beteken.

• Krokodille is waarskynlik al 200 miljoen jaar op die aarde, terwyl dinosourisse reeds 65 miljoen jaar gelede uitgesterf het.

• Krokodille het ‘n derde ooglid of knipvlies wat hulle instaat stel om onderwater te kan sien. Hulle het ook ‘n flap agterin hul keel wat hul asemhalingstelsel afsluit en hulle instaat stel om hul bek onder water oop te maak.

• Die Nylkrokodil kan tot 40km/h in water swem en is oor ‘n kort afstand ook baie vinnig op die grond.

• Krododille eet feitlik enigiets, selfs seekoeie, buffels, kameelperde, leeus en ystervarke.

• Hulle is uitstekende jagters en het ‘n verkseidenheid tegnieke om hul prooi te vang, waarvan die verrassingselement, waar hulle doodstil in die water lê en dan blitsvinnig uitspring, die algemeenste is.

• Krokodille kan tot 6 m lank word en meer as 1 t weeg.

• Krokodille verskil baie van ander reptiele. Hulle het ‘n meer gevorderde hart (met vier hartkamers) en hul brein is met ‘n breinstam toegerus.

• Hulle het nie sweetkliere nie en laat hitte deur hulle bek vry. Dis hoekom ‘n mens hulle dikwels met die oopbek sien slaap.

• Krokodille word van 70 tot 100 jaar oud. ‘n Soutwater-krokodilmannetjie in ‘n Australiese dieretuin is na raming 130 jaar oud.

Bron: www.croccity.co.za: wikepedia.org

Joburg.co.za Review

November 2006 - by Claire

 About

Dinosaurs in Joburg? Well, just about!  The crocodiles of today have not evolved much over the past 200 million years leaving them closely related to dinosaurs.  Just the other day I discovered that these prehistoric creatures are literally living in my backyard!

Location

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Croc City Crocodile Farm in Nietgedacht.  The farm is situated north of Johannesburg, close to GameParks, the LanseriaInternationalAirport, the Cradle of Humankind and is en-route to the Hartbeespoort Dam.  Living in Lonehill, I was very happy to discover that the drive to CrocCity took me less than ten minutes, and because the Farm was very well sign posted and the directions were accurate, I found it immediately!

On arrival, I was greeted by Marietjie Lotter who, together with her husband Anton, owns the Farm. Before Marietjie could get into any detail about the history of the farm, I had to ask her about the tiny croc in the glass tank that greets one on arrival. Without any hesitation, Marietjie lifted the lid off the tank and pulled out, dare I say, the cutest crocodile I have ever seen! She explained to me that he was already 6 months old and needed to be kept separate from the older crocs for safe keeping. I was given the opportunity to hold the sweet-looking creature, but as young as he was, I was still rather hesitant because I managed to sneak a peek at his teeth, and let me say they were just as razor sharp as adult crocs. Just a small pat on the head would do!

The entrance to CrocCity leads one into the quaint curio and snack shop. Here a variety of things are sold, from beverages and snacks to crocodile healing agents and crocodile meat! After conversing about the packaged croc meat (which was very interesting as croc meat is probably one of the healthiest meats a human could eat), I made my way to the small lecture theatre situated to the left of the curio shop. Here benches lined the floor along with posters and information detailing many aspects of crocodiles that plastered the wall. A TV is situated in the front of the room and this is used for educational purposes. Marietjie explained to me that this educational facility is used for school tours whereby students will watch a video, have a discussion about crocodiles and then proceed on to the visual tour of the farm. With all this information, I headed out of the building and down the steps to finally greet the crocs!

Meeting the beasts...
The first enclosure that we visited held the babies of the farm. Being such a hot day, the crocs literally lay basking in the sun! (Lucky things!) One or two entertained me by slowly climbing into the water, submerging their entire body with the exception of their eyes, and swimming very elegantly to the other side of the enclosure. The peeping eyes out of the water are an absolute must see!

On walking to the second enclosure, I simply had to stop to take a couple of photos of the exquisite gardens. The grass is lush, the tiny pebbles seemed to be perfectly placed and the flowers contrasted against the green grass gave the impression of absolute perfection. It amazed me that this garden was well kept and overflowing with colour at this stage of the year as I know that my garden is not the picture of perfection when it comes to the end of winter!

The second enclosure houses crocodiles that are 'middle aged'. These beasts were much bigger than the 'babies' and to my delight, were far more willing to put on a bit of a show for me, their visitor! Three of these crocs were actually in a bit of a battle to find a mate! As the sex of a crocodile can only be deciphered by means of an internal examination of the croc, we weren't quite sure as to whom was chasing whom, but Marietjie did inform me that when it comes to the female crocodile looking for a mate, age has nothing to do with the ideal partner, but rather how big he is! I assure you this refers to the actual size of the male's body in metres! I pondered about this. So if the mating game with crocodiles does not rely on age but purely on size, why in human nature is this such a continuing debate? Surely nature has the answer? I had to chuckle to myself as we moved on to the final enclosure...

The last enclosure houses the crocs that are 60 years and older. If I thought that the previous crocs were large, I definitely had another think coming. These crocs were massive. Sleeping fairly close together in the shade, with their mouths wide open, as crocs often do, I noticed that these creatures have no tongue! Does this mean that they cannot taste their food? That would surely be a pity! Bearing in mind that these crocodiles did not make a sound during my visit, I assumed that their bark could definitely not be worse than their bite! And how correct I was. These older crocs have a 40km/hour snap, which would mean that if one were standing at the water's edge, there would be little hope for the victim.

I noticed that this enclosure has an extra area that the other two did not have. This extra area is known as the nesting area. The nesting area comprises of a couple of wooden cubicles that are filled with sand. When the females are ready to lay their eggs, they will pick out what they feel is the most comfortable nesting area, this is usually decided on by means of a little 'ladies argument'. Once resolved, the females proceed with laying their eggs. Marietjie explained that as soon as the eggs are laid they need to be retrieved by the workers at the farm because if they were to hatch in the enclosure, the newborns would most probably be eaten by the other older crocs. I found this to be quite sad as this means that the mother never has a chance to meet her babies. The upside to this however, is that the eggs are taken and incubated, and when they hatch they have a much larger chance of survival than compared to a natural birth in the wild surrounded by larger crocs. Preservation is a good thing, especially in a situation like CrocCity as not only are crocs being reared, but they are also being used for educational purposes.

We think...
This brought my visit to CrocCity to an end. I made a mental note of when the feedings take place as I believe that this would be incredible to experience. Luckily for me, and all of those others who are at work during the week, this occurs on Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. Currently Croc City has over 800 crocodiles, many over the age of 60, weighing up to 750kgs! Croc City is literally a stone's throw from the Fourways area and includes a tea garden that provides light refreshments like cakes, scones and tea or coffee, informative tours on request, and the simple pleasure of being in the presence of creatures that, however dangerous, are majestic in stature. It would be a misfortune not to visit this farm.

Gauteng Business

June 2006 - by Karin Franken

The seed to become a crocodile farmer and start Croc City was planted in Anton Lotter's mind eight years ago, after he an his wife, Marietjie, visited crocodile farms and exhibition centers across the country.

"We figured out that if they can do it, so can we.  After searching the Web on the subject, we also asked crocodile farmers what it took to start such a business," Lotter says.

CrocCity is situated near LanseriaAirport and is safely located away from a river or a flood level area. 

Meanwhile, while many farmers were willing to share their knowledge, some were reluctant to let the newcomers into their small, but deadly world.  There are about 26 crocodile farms in SA, but only one in Gauteng which is open to the public.  "The advantage of being in Gauteng is due to the abundance of food," he says. 

Crocodiles in captivity are fed dead animals, ranging from chickens to horses. Over the years, Lotter established good relations with local poultry farmers and nearby veterinarians, who supply him with carcasses.

"In the Northern Province you have to pay for your meat, while here it is virtually for free," he explains.  Lotter relies heavily on his contacts, since he has to keep 800 hungry crocodiles well fed.

"This is definitely a numbers business.  To operate a successful crocodile farm you need a minimum of 500 crocodiles," he advises.

When the Lotters started their business, they only had 150 reptiles.  This was the least of their concerns though, as they had to develop a plan to keep their brood healthy and alive.

Using their own finances the Lotters built an incubator, a hatchery and specialised dams over the years.  "These dams are kept heated at 20 degrees Celsius.  A crocodile cannot survive if the temperature drops below 10 degrees," he explains.

Which is why, when you visit the farm in winter, you will see most of the crocodiles submerged in the dams, with only their eyes and snouts peeking out the water.

To keep the dams, hatchery and the incubator heated to crocodile standards, cost the Lotter's heavily, and an average electricity bill can easily pass the R7 000 mark.

All the expenses are worked into the final product, which is the hide and meat of the young reptiles.

An untreated hide, which has only been salted, can fetch the Lotters R1 500.  Treated hides can fetch R3 500 each.  The Lotters' preferred means of making a profit is through selling untreated hides to buyers from Europe and the Far East, and meat to the local and international markets.

Final products such as handbags, lipstick holders, wallets, shoes, belts and jackets, can be found in boutiques around the world, reaching prices up to R20 000 an item. "They even make couches with the skins," Marietjie says.

Demand for crocodile meat has also improved, with people wanting the white meat as sosaties, steaks or strips.  "International demand for meats such as ostrich and crocodile is still strong," Lotter adds.

To market their business' products, they joined a group of crocodile farmers who meet once a year.  There they sign a contract to supply a determined amount of skins to the world market.  "We elect a person to speak on our behalf to graders from overseas, and a price is then decided," he says.

The value of a slaughtered three year old crocodile is currently R2 000 and a five year old is R2 500.

While 99% of Lotter's skins end up in Europe and the Far East, a percentage stays behind and are currently send to a tannery in Krugersdorp.  These skins are turned into wallets which are sold in the Lotter's CrocCity shop, already open for two months.

To get the farm open for the public to view the crocodiles, the Lotters waited a year for the department of nature and conservation to grant them a license.  "I had to 'write a book' on crocodile farming before they granted us a license," he says.

For CrocCity to grow as a farm, they need to expand their stock to 1 000 crocodiles.  "Instead of delivering 300 skins, we want to give 400 skins.  Our ultimate aim is 1 000 skins a year."  For that the Lotter's will have to have 3 000 crocodiles in their first, second and third year stages.

"Our breeding stock, under the leadership of our 60 year old male, will have to be increased to meet these numbers."

For the public display side of the business, much will depend on how well Lotter shares his stories about how long a crocodile can live, how not to approach a crocodile and about its blood that has special anti-bacterial powers.

For more information on Croc City, call  011 460 0413  011 460 0413 or info@croccity.co.za 

New Croc on the Block

March 17, 2006 - Wynand Gobler

Nietgedacht. More than 800 crocodiles are lurking in and around Chartwell. Fortunately, they are safely enclosed at Croc City, just off Cedar Road, which is opening its doors to the public in less than a week.

Anton and Marietjie Lotter have been farming with crocs on their smallholding for the past seven years, but after being inundated with requests from the public to pay a visit to their farm, the couple got thinking. 

We realised there was an obvious interest in the animals and thought we should open to the public, while providing informative tours, said Anton, who has gained valuable insight into the lifestyles of crocodiles.

This, he said would be the first crocodile farm to be opened to the public in the whole of Gauteng and after more than a year since applying, the couple have received necessary permits to open facility.

The visit will start with a video, which details the entire life cycle of the animal, from hatchling to adult crocodile of more than 4 meters he added. “From there visitors are either treated to a guided tour or walk through the facility on their own, after which there is an opportunity to hold a small croc.

The trade in crocodile skins is however a lucrative one, specifically as far as the European market is concerned and according to Lotter, a handbag made from first grade crocodile skin could sell for up to several thousand pounds. Crocodile meat, though an acquired taste, is served at various restaurants as a delicacy and, said Lotter, is extremely low in cholesterol content even less than that of ostrich.

 We have made the venue as natural as possible, with water filtered through the existing wetland.

 Many of the couples collection of adult Nile Crocodiles are in excess of 4m and already 60 years old, weighing up to 750 kg. These animals have not evolved much over a period of 200 million years leaving them closely related to dinosaurs.

 For this reason, scientists have been collecting crocodile blood in the hope of finding a powerful antibiotic for humans and hopefully, an antidote for the Aids virus too. Lotter said crocodiles possess an immune system much stronger than that of humans, which protect them in the wild from infections due to wounds and torn limbs.

 Australian scientists now hope crocodile serum could kill off HIV viral organisms.

 This captive breeding process is one way of ensuring the continued survival of crocodiles and because they can live up to 100 years, they could be around for many generations to appreciate, he added.

Phone the Lotters at  011-460 0413  011-460 0413 .

Fact file:

·         The Nile crocodile is responsible for more than 300 deaths each year in Africa.

·         They can survive without food for six to eight months.

·         Crocodile are protected in South Africa and can weigh up to 1000kg.