Fisheries officials inspect a crocodile farm in Siem Reap province’s Puok district on April 20. FB
The Fisheries Administration laid out a six-point plan to increase safety for all crocodile farmers, warning them to exercise increased caution in the management of their crocodile-raising facilities.
In a notice on April 25, Pum Sitha, head of the Fisheries Administration, said they had prepared and would disseminate guidelines related to the techniques for managing and raising crocodiles to increase safety at crocodile farms across the country.
The notice followed an incident on the night of April 18, when a crocodile farm owner named Sou Sothear, 37 – who was also an official from the Fisheries Administration in Siem Reap province’s Puok district – fell into his crocodile pool and was bitten several times, resulting in his death.
It was determined that he had slipped into the basin containing the crocodiles because it was without a proper fence or railings for safety. The tragedy was felt not only by his family, but also by all of the other farmers who raise crocodiles in the Kingdom, according to Sitha.
In order to maintain safety at crocodile farms, Sitha and specialists from the Department of Agriculture and the Fisheries Administration collaborated with the Crocodile Farmer’s Association to help spread the word about safety to the industry.
The main safety measures are to fence in the compounds and basins robustly and according to heightened technical standards and to install strong doors, bridges and railings in all places that require them.
“We also need to properly lock the doors of the farms or facilities and ban children from playing on the compounds or farms. And we must never send children to feed the crocodiles or clean the crocodile basins,” he said.
He added that officials from the Fisheries Administration have urged the crocodile farmers to keep their facilities clean for reasons of public health and to avoid negative environmental impacts, while the increased beauty and better hygiene may also open their businesses up to tourism.
Officials carrying out inspections must assess the value, quality and safety of the animals and farms or facilities within their purview. They must also instruct the farmers to exercise increased caution when feeding the animals, cleaning their basins or catching them for slaughter or sale.
He further requested that the Cambodia Livestock Raisers Association (CLRA) help instruct the crocodile farmers and convene a meeting with them so that they have an opportunity to share their own experiences regarding safety and hygiene when raising animals commercially.
Reach Chanthorn, a member of the CLRA in Siem Reap province, said on April 26 that presently the province has nearly 300 families who raise crocodiles. Approximately 20 of those crocodile farms aim to export them for trade, with an average of 500 crocodiles per farm – including his own.
“We have to put safety first when we get into the crocodile business. We have to carefully consider how to construct the basins for safe feeding and eventually catching the animals,” he said.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries gathered in 2020, the Kingdom had 700 crocodile farms spread across seven provinces – Siem Reap, Kampong Thom, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Kandal, Kampong Chhnang and Pursat – at that time.
Of those 700, there were 445 crocodile farms that had been registered at the ministry, and of that number there were just 22 at the time which were recognised as compliant with the international SITES convention and could legally export crocodile skins to the international market.
