Sandakan-based crocodile farm operator,Chairman of newly-formed Taman Buaya Tuaran Sdn Bhd, Chai Yau Look  decided to set up operations in Tuaran district in line with the Government halatuju in tourism.

"I chose Tuaran because most of the tourists spend their holiday in Kota Kinabalu. Moreover, we felt obliged to contribute more towards the tourism industry not only in Sandakan but also in Kota Kinabalu" he told reporters in 2005.

Another crocodile farm in Langkawi Island that was formed in 1992 starting with only 997 Crocodylus Porosus type reptile which has since grown to about 5,000 over the years. A total of 1,000 crocodiles were shipped from Sandakan to Langkawi he said but three died during the journey. Chai said crocodile farms have always been a major attraction to the tourists and that having the farm near the city would make it even more convenient for them to visit.

On February 2005, a total of 1,000 crocodiles were transported from Sandakan farm to this RM3 million new Tuaran farm


He said tourists have to travel by land or air from the West Coast areas to get to the family-run business at Labuk Road, Sandakan, which he said was one factor for the less number of visitors.

Chai said he started in the business in his teens after he managed to sell 20 pieces of crocodile skins for which he received more than RM1,000.

"So, with the money I have, I added another 200 to 300 crocodiles into the pond and I have never turned back," he said.

The value of the skin depends on the size where first grade could fetch RM500 per piece while the meat is usually sold at RM30 per kilo.

A five-year old crocodile, Chai said, could net seven kilo worth of meat, which they supply to the local market.

Last year in Sandakan, he said the company sold 700 pieces of skin where a Singaporean company purchased majority of it. He said the skins are drenched in salt and rolled before they are shipped to Singapore where it undergoes tanning process.

"We then use the tanned skin to make wallets, handbags, shoes, belts, purse and wrist watch straps, among others," he said.

Chai's uncle, Nyo Cho Tong, who is manager of the Taman Buaya Tuaran, said the skin have to be handled very carefully since a scratch mark would make its value downgraded.

He said the crocodiles are divided into those for display to the public and another group for their skin and meat.

"The ones for display are usually fed twice in a week of fish worth RM3 which comes to about RM200 per crocodile in a year while those for harvesting we feed them once a day," he said.

There are about 5,000 crocodiles at the Sandakan farm.

Since crocodiles are listed as an endangered species, Nyo said the company applied for a certificate from the Convention International Trade In Endangered Species (CITES) in Geneva, Switzerland.

For each crocodile they harvest, it must be recorded for CITES officer assessment.

The crocodiles are harvested only when they reach four to five years since the value of crocodile skin up to 10 years of age is less.


Male crocodile skin are usually better since the surface area are naturally larger than the female while its texture and quality is also much superior.
 

A female crocodile can lay between 20 to 80 eggs in a year.

The reptile sex can also be "changed" while still in egg form. The crocodile farmers gather the eggs as soon as the mother lays them and put them into an incubator. If the farmers want them to turn into males after hatching, they set the incubator temperature at 32 degree Celcius while for females at  32 degree Celcius below.

The practice is usually more than 90 per cent accurate. If they don't control the reptile sexes, an oversupply of one sex would create a problem.

we also got to see bearcat, pythons, an ostrich, a peacock, noisy gobbling turkeys, slimy looking catfish, fat monitor lizards, mini chicken (Japanese chicken).