Frog Farming (1978)

Here is an old article from Mother Earth News on farming bullfrogs.

Croc Farming

Zimbabwe is encouraging farmers to raise crocodiles commercially. (News source.)

Croc Attack and Croc Escape

An illegal logger captured by Myanmar forest rangers was knocked out of a boat and killed by a crocodile. (News source.)

And, a large saltwater crocodile escaped from a croc farm in Malaysia, but was captured by 10+ villagers and sent to the police. (News source with photo.)

Croc Industries

In Zimbabwe, farmed crocodile meat is becoming a cheap alternative as other meats become far more expensive than many people can afford. (News source.)

Australian crocodile farmers have a labor shortage (few skilled crocodile butchers), so cheaper imported croc meat from PNG and elsewhere is taking over the market, while the Australian farmers focus on skins. (News source.)

Croc Farm Problems

Vietnamese crocodile farms are having die-offs due to contaminated water from local factories that dump untreated sewage into the local waterways. (News source.)

Crocs in the News

Vietnamese farmers are finding that croc raising isn't as lucrative as they hoped, and poor caging means that escapees are common. (News source.)

Here is a profile on a caiman hunter/skinner.

India Snake Farming?

In response to the cultural instability with snake charmers made illegal in West Bengal, there are plans to create state-sponsored cooperative snake breeding farms (after a Chinese model), apparently for venom extraction. Might there be a possibility of harmless native species bred for the pet trade? India's wildlife laws may be too strict for that... (News source.)

Everglades Alligator Farm

Here is a profile on the Everglades Alligator Farm.

Frog Farming

Here is a fascinating profile of a Vietnamese frog farmer who started out small and has become a millionaire (VND) raising the amphibians.

Turtle Amendment Passed?

I haven't really kept up on this, but the Natchez Democrat is reporting that the recently passed Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (H.R. 2419) included an amendment repealing the small turtle sales ban (though noting there may be an effort to repeal the repeal). Turtle farms now process eggs to eradicate Salmonella (or some do, anyway; I'd like to see confirmation that all turtle farms do this). The process goes:

"Once the turtles start to lay their eggs on the levees around the turtle ponds, the eggs are gathered daily, and all dirt is removed from the eggs before they are soaked for 10 minutes in a water and Clorox solution.
"After that, they are cleaned in a commercial washer.
"'We run them through an egg washer manufactured for chicken eggs,' Evans said.
"Once washed, the eggs are placed in a special vacuum tank to eradicate any salmonella. After that, they are placed in incubation trays until they hatch, at which time a state veterinarian certifies they are salmonella free."

[Note: Here is the amendment in question, the Domestic Pet Turtle Equality Act.]

Croc Farm Targeted

Thieves have hit a South African crocodile farm, with several small crocodiles and building materials being taken. (News source.)

Bully Crocs

A researcher at the Darwin Crocodile Farm is looking into farm-raised crocodile social-interaction. Bully crocs can create problems when they pick on runts, making the latter unprofitable for farming. (News source.)

Alligator Meat Promoted

A segment on the Today show recently promoted alligator meat as a healthy diet choice, being lower in fat than beef and chicken. (News source.)

Vietnam Croc Escapees

A crocodile farm in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, which had a large number of escapees during recent flooding is still uncertain how many might remain at large. "The company has said that of the 5,000 crocodiles it had before the floods, 216 have been found and 1,440 moved to a safer area. But it claims not to know how many are still in the farm." (News source.)

Thailand Frog Farm

Here is a brief profile on a 23-year old frog farm in Thailand, where over 10,000 frogs are raised in individual plastic bottles.

Skinning Gators

Here is a brief profile of a working Louisiana alligator farm, Vermilion Gator Farm, with notes on how gators are skinned for their hides.

Crocs in Restaurants

The crocodile is showing up in more Vietnamese restaurants. (News source.)

Snake Farming in Nepal

Commercial snake farming is being considered as an economical alternative to agriculture for a Nepal tribe (the Netuwa people, who have been have been traditional snake catchers for centuries). (News source.)

Australian Croc Farm

A Northern Territory company, Porosus, is planning to develop crocodile farms, which should aid local economic development. (News source.)

Croc Escape

Flooding at a Non Sung, Thailand, crocodile farm led to 34 escapees. 23 have been shot, but 11 remain on the loose. Some are up to 20 feet in length. (News source.)

Turkish Turtle Farm

A German zoologist runs the only turtle farm in Turkey. He exports the babies for the pet trade. (News source.)

Rain Brings Eggs

Heavy rainfall in the Bangladesh has been a boon for the country's only saltwater crocodile farm, as the showers have led to breeding and egg-laying. (News source)