We would like to introduce our crocodile farm to you.

Nestled in the Waterberg district, between Bela-Bela and Modimolle, Thaba Kwena Crocodile Farm was founded by Albert and Thea Pretorius more than 25 years ago. It’s owners with 17 young crocodiles started Thaba Kwena in 1990. The farm has now grown into the largest crocodile farm in South Africa open to the public.

Originally established as Thaba Kwena Trust (with only a few crocodiles in stock!) Thaba Kwena developed rapidly over the years into one of the largest Crocodile Farms in South Africa, known today as the company Thaba Kwena Pty Ltd.  still directed and owned by the Pretorius family and exporting raw salted Nile Crocodile skins as well as Frozen Nile Crocodile meat.

Thaba Kwena Crocodile Farm is located  in the beautiful bushveld province of  Limpopo, South Africa.

With our more than 30 000 Nile crocodiles and fully guided tours, led by our friendly and knowledgeable tour guides, a visit to us will surely be an experience not to be missed.

SINCE WE AT THABA KWENA CROCODILE FARM SINCERELY VALUE EDUCATION WE OFFER SPECIAL RATES TO ALL SCHOOL- AND EDUCATIONAL GROUPS

For those wanting to know more about these fascinating animals, we are open daily from 9h00 – 16h00 and offer the following:

• Informative guided tours
• Special rates for school groups and senior citizens
• Breakfast, light lunches, coffee, tea, cold drinks, etc. served in the kiosk
• Curios shop
• Vacuum packed frozen crocodile meat.

The breeding crocodiles range in size from 2.5m to 5m. They are between 10 and 40 years old and weigh anything from 60km to 600kg.

We harvest the eggs and rear the young to a certain size depending on market demand. The skin and meat are marketed overseas.

The skins are tanned and used for the manufacture of a wide range of leather goods like handbags, wallets, purses, belts and shoes.

• Several subspecies of Nile crocodile have been suggested, but none of them have become widely acknowledged. Examples of suggested subspecies are:
  – Crocodylus niloticus africanus (East African Nile crocodile)
  – Crocodylus niloticus chamses (West African Nile crocodile)
  – Crocodylus niloticus corviei (South African Nile crocodile)
  – Crocodylus niloticus madagascariensis (Malagasy Nile crocodile)
  – Crocodylus niloticus niloticus (Ethiopian Nile crocodile)
  – Crocodylus niloticus pauciscutatus (Kenyan Nile crocodile)
  – Crocodylus niloticus suchus (Central Africal Nile crocodile)

• Nile crocodiles are amazingly apt at handling limb loss and pathogens, e.g. bacteria that would cause serious infections in most other animals. Many crocodiles live to old age despite missing an arm or a leg, or even a part of the jaw.

• The Nile crocodile will normally dive for no more than a couple of minutes, but it can hold its breath for up to two hours if it stays in-active. It is equipped with a four-chambered heart that is very efficient at keeping the blood oxygenated.

• The Nile crocodile has good hearing and can produce a lot of different souncs to communicate.

• Young crocodiles are sometimes preyed on by African Big Cats.

• Even thoughy small animals make up a significant part of the diet even for gigantic Nile crocodiles, large crocs prefer large prey since such a diet is more energy efficient. If they can’t find suitable large prey, they will gradually move down to smaller and smaller prey.

• The Nile crocodile is believed to kill a couple of hundred people a year, which is more than all the other crocodiles combined. Although being smaller than the infamous Saltwater crocodile, the Nile crocodile lives closer to human settlements and this increases the risk of fatal encounters. Obtaining accurate numbers is difficult since many fatalities may go unreported, especially in remote regions and areas marked by civil unrest. Nile crocodiles will also seek out corpses to scavenge, a habit which makes it complicated to establish the true cause of death.

• The ancient Egyptians incorporated the Nile crocodile in their belief system, worshipping a crocodile god name Sobek. Sobek was associated with fertility and the power of the Pharoah. The Middle Kingdom city of Arsinoe was the centre of worship for this deity: a place referred to as “Crocodilopolis” by the Greeks. Several other temples also existed through-out Egypt, such as the famoux Kom-Ombo. According to Herodotus, the Sobek temple in Arsinoe contained a pool where a crocodile lived. This crocodile was fed, covered in jewellery and worshipped by the Egyptians. Today, it is fairly common among Nubian fisherman to mount stuffed Nile crocodiles over their doorsteps to ward off evil forces.

• According to Herodotus, some of the Ancient Egyptians kept much pampered crocodiles in pools. When the crocodiles died they were embalmed, mummified, placed in sarcophagi and buried in a sacred tomb. Herodotus account is supported by the fact that a lot of mummified crocodiles and crocodile eggs have been found in Egyptian tombs.

Crocodiles have pointed snouts (A) and the teeth of the upper and lower jaws interlock and are visible when the jaws are closed. The snout of the alligator is rounded (B). The upper jaws overlaps the lower so that only the upper teeth are visible when the jaws are closed. Alligators are found in North America and China.

Why not browse around in our welcoming curio shop after (or even prior!) to visiting our Nile Crocodiles? Here you will find a variety of gifts, souvenirs and of course various crocodile leather products including wallets, purses and belts and naturally – frozen vacuum packed crocodile meat!

In the mood for a light lunch?

Why not sit down and enjoy a Croc Burger or even a Croc Pie? For the not so brave… We offer a variety of other mouth watering light meals (see our menu’s)

Speaking of hungry… Feeding Time for our Crocodiles are only during the summer months, Saturdays at 13h00.

Crocodile Feeding Times:
Saturdays 13h00 (September to first Saturday in May)