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The demand for crocodile skins in the 28-34 cm range can be attributed to skins being purchased by
the ailing ostrich industry in an effort to increase their product offering and to justify keeping their
tanneries open. Increased demand for quality large skins has also resulted in a number of farms
going the single-pen route, despite the negative publicity in South Africa regarding single pen
rearing. The South African NSPCA has called for a ban on this practice. A Standard for the keeping
of crocodiles in South Africa (SANS 631 of 2010) is available online at
https://law.resource.org/pub/za/ibr/za.sans.631.2009.pdf.
There are efforts in South Africa to revive the SA Crocodile Farmers Association (SACFA) - the
chairman of SACFA resigned in 2012, whereupon the SACFA Executive suspended its activities.
The aim is to reconstitute the Association during 2013.
NAMIBIA
Howard Kelly reports that an evaluation of the status of wild Nile Crocodiles in Namibia was
carried out for the Namibian Government in 2012. One of the recommendations in the report called
for an immediate completion of the Namibian Crocodile Management Plan. The purpose of this
investigation was to ascertain whether the wild crocodile populations in the four ‘Caprivi rivers’
could support a commercial venture in the region. The initiative was undertaken by the Ministry of
Trade and was partially driven by concerns regarding the social and economic conditions in the
Caprivi region; there is extensive poverty and HCC is a serious issue. A business model is currently
under assessment and highlights that the Nile crocodile is a keystone species for the region with the
potential to act as a catalyst for real socio-economic change. The Environmental Impact Assessment
for the initiative should be finalised by mid-2013.
MALAWI
A social survey has been carried out in TA Pemba and Maganga’s areas in Salima District, which
showed that HCC is a real disaster risk in the areas. Structures in place to reduce the risk of HCC
are deemed to be ‘weak’. Trophy hunting was authorised by the Department of National Parks and
Wildlife (DNPW) in 2010, with a quota of 15 wild crocodiles in 2012.
Alison Leslie and a PhD student are planning a new crocodile research project for Malawi entitled:
“Population status, levels and trends of the Nile crocodile in a human conflicted environment along
the Lower Shire River”. This project will include the lower portion of the Shire River and the wellknown
elephant marsh area. Crocodiles in this area are said to be under-nourished due to the lack of
prey as a result of conflict with humans. It is hoped that the project will commence in the early
stages of 2014.
BOTSWANA
Vince Shacks and Sven Bourquin are continuing with the Okavango Crocodile Monitoring project
with a study on the “Baseline Levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Crocodiles of the
Okavango Delta, Botswana”.
UGANDA
At CoP16 in Bangkok, March 2013, the status of a research project being undertaken at Murchison
Falls was discussed with members of the Ugandan delegation. The CSG was thanked for providing
“crocodilian” literature, which greatly assisted the researchers in that country.