Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm And Zoo
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The Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo () was a famous crocodile zoo in Samut Prakarn Province, Thailand that operated from 1950 to its temporary closure in 2020. During is tenure, the zoo operated as one of the largest crocodile zoos in the world, being home to 60,000 crocodiles. It even claimed to hold the world's largest crocodile in captivity, named Yai, who measured around and weighed . The Covid-19 pandemic and the loss of tourists would later cause the zoo's closure in 2020 before going into liquidation in 2021. Aside from just housing crocodiles, the zoo also housed a wide array of other animals, including
Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living Elephantidae, elephantid in the world. It is char ...
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tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...
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chimpanzee The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of Hominidae, great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close rel ...
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gibbon Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical forests from eastern Bangladesh and Northeast Indi ...
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turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
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snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...
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bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
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camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...
s, hippos,
goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...
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alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile. More recentl ...
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deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...
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fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
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bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
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leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...
s, cows,
horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...
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sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...
, boars,
ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...
es,
rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...
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orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...
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peafowl Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
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cassowaries Cassowaries (; Biak language, Biak: ''man suar'' ; ; Papuan_languages, Papuan: ''kasu weri'' ) are flightless birds of the genus ''Casuarius'', in the order Casuariiformes. They are classified as ratites, flightless birds without a keel (bird a ...
,
emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
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porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...
s and pythons. The area also had an exhibit showcasing models and skeletons of
dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
s, and also a slide multivision of primitive men and
animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...
s. There were daily crocodile shows, famous for the performers who did tricks such as when they put their heads and arms inside a crocodile's mouth. Elephant shows displayed the dexterity of elephants as they walked tightropes, rode skateboards and danced. Visitors could also have taken a short elephant ride, train, or paddle boat ride.


Areas


Crocodile Area

This was an area where visitors could feed crocodiles in a pond with chicken. Most of the crocodiles here were larger than the other crocodiles in the zoo. Visitors could either throw chicken into the pond with their hands, or try to lure them with a wooden pole with chicken attached to the end. Another pond featured unique types of crocodiles, including albino, melanisitc and beetle-tailed. Crocodile shows were also held here, where performers would perform with crocodiles, demonstrating actions such as sticking their head and arms inside of the crocodiles' mouth.


Other Areas

There was an area where visitors (particularly children) could interact and feed carrots to farm animals such as goats and alpacas.


History

In 1946, Thailand had some of the largest crocodile populations in the world and people would often use their leather to make bags and purses that they then sold at high prices. This would then inspire Uthai Youngpraphakorn to cultivate crocodiles on a farm. The Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo was then established in 1950 by Uthai Youngpraphakorn on an area of 1 rai. This would later expand to its current area of 400 rai. Uthai would later die aged 96 on October 7, 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, tourist numbers in Thailand plummeted as international travel ceased. Along with the rest of the tourism industry, the zoo suffered massive financial losses. On January 26, 2021, it was announced that the company that operated the farm, Bangpakong Crocodile Farm and Zoo Co., Ltd., was going into liquidation. This comes after a civil case where the Youngprapakorn family objected the order in September 2020.


Incidents

There were at least three suicides at the facility involving women who jumped into a crocodile pond and were eaten alive; there was such an incident in 2002 and a news report from the BBC made reference to a similar occurrence a decade prior to this, and more recently in 2014. A recent article published in ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' alleged that the animals were exploited at the Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo. An article published by ''
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
'' which reported animal abuse and neglect, in particular concerned an elephant named Gluay Hom.


References

{{authority control Zoos in Thailand Buildings and structures in Samut Prakan province Crocodile farms Tourist attractions in Samut Prakan province 1950 establishments in Thailand