Alligator farm

Alligator farm
Aerial view of a Cambodian crocodile farm
Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm in Thailand

An alligator farm or crocodile farm is an establishment for breeding and raising of crocodilians in order to produce meat, leather, and other goods. Many species of both alligators and crocodiles are farmed internationally, and occasionally the term ranch is also used.

Contents

History

Though not truly domesticated, alligators and crocodiles have been bred in farms since at least the early 20th century. However, the vast majority of these early businesses were farms in name only; primarily keeping alligators and crocodiles as a tourist attraction.[1] The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, established in 1893, is a prime example of this early type of alligator farm. Only in the 1960s did commercial operations that either harvested eggs from the wild or bred alligators on-site begin to appear.[2] This was largely driven by diminishing stocks of wild alligators, which had been hunted nearly to extinction around this time.

As the American Alligator was placed under official protection in 1967 (under a law preceding the 1973 Endangered Species Act) farming alligators for skins became the most viable option for producing leather (outside illegal poaching).[2] Mostly concentrated in the Southern U.S. states of Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia, the practice quickly spread to other nations. Both the American and Chinese Alligator are farmed intensively today, mostly within each species' respective native region. The Nile crocodile is found in ranches all over Africa, and the Saltwater crocodile is farmed in Australia and other areas. The smaller caimans are generally not of enough market value to farm, though some captive breeding of the spectacled caiman does take place in South America.

Farming alligators and crocodiles first grew out of the demand for skins,[3] which can fetch hundreds of dollars apiece. But alligator and crocodile meat, which was long a part of Southern cooking (especially Cajun cuisine)[4] and some Asian and African cuisines, began to be sold later and shipped around the world to markets unfamiliar with crocodilian meat. Chinese cuisine based on traditional Chinese medicine considers alligator meat to be a curative food for colds and cancer prevention, although there is no scientific evidence to support this.[5]

In culture

A crocodile farm is featured in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die. Tee Hee Johnson, one of the villain's henchman, attempts to feed James Bond to the crocodiles.

See also

  • Turtle farming - commercial raising of another group of reptiles

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Alligator Farm — Студийный альбом Пола Гилберта …   Википедия

  • Alligator Farm — Infobox Album Name = Alligator Farm Type = studio Artist = Paul Gilbert Released = 2000 Recorded = Genre = Hard rock Length = 52:41 Label = Shrapnel Records 1146 Producer = Paul Gilbert Reviews = * Allmusic Rating|3|5… …   Wikipedia

  • St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park — Infobox nrhp2 name = St. Augustine Alligator Farm Historic District nhd = yes caption = location = St. Johns County, Florida nearest city = St. Augustine, Florida lat degrees = 29 lat minutes = 52 lat seconds = 53 lat direction = N long degrees …   Wikipedia

  • St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park — Date d ouverture …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Los Angeles Alligator Farm — The Los Angeles Alligator Farm, located next door to the Los Angeles Ostrich Farm in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States, was a major city tourist attraction from 1907 until 1953. Originally situated across… …   Wikipedia

  • Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo — Infobox zoo zoo name=Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo logo= logo width=245px location=Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA date opened=1902 num animals=400 num species=60 members=AZA website=The Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo was founded in …   Wikipedia

  • American alligator — An American Alligator in captivity at the Columbus Zoo, in Powell, Ohio Conservation status …   Wikipedia

  • Chinese alligator — Conservation status Critically Endangered ( …   Wikipedia

  • American Alligator — Taxobox name = Alligator mississippiensis status = LR/lc | status system = IUCN2.3 image caption = An American Alligator in captivity at the Columbus Zoo, in Powell, Ohio image width = 230px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis =… …   Wikipedia

  • Sewer alligator — A model of an alligator emerging from a sewer in a mall. Sewer alligator stories date back to the late 1920s and early 1930s, in most instances they are part of contemporary legend. They are based upon reports of alligator sightings in rather… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”