Daniel Haller owns Nile Crocodile Farm, which is located in Kikambala, Kilifi County.
He was inspired to create the farm after his father exposed him to crocodile husbandry when he was a child.
In the 1970s, Haller’s father, an environmentalist, imported crocodiles to their farm to eat dead chickens and lambs to reduce waste.
In the 1980s, he studied aquaculture and received a Master of Science Degree in Aquaculture from the University of Stirling, Scotland.
“My father felt that he had to find something to eat the animals and birds. He experimented and found that crocodiles were the best option,” he said.
After returning to Kenya in the 1990s, Haller collaborated with the late Harun Muturi to establish the farm.
He retains the crocodiles for their skin, which he sells to companies such as Heng Long Leather Ltd in Singapore.
Skins are used to make wallets, handbags, and shoes. He sells the meat to hotels and the local population for between Ksh 280 and Ksh 350 per kilo.
Haller slaughters at least 4,000 to 5,000 animals every year on the farm, and their wet-salted skin is stored at three degrees C.
Haller emphasized that high-quality crocodile skin implies big profit.
“It is a business that requires a lot of attention to detail. You can lose all your money by producing skin which does not have the right quality
“The risk is high and you can go bankrupt if after five years you do not get the right quality needed for the international luxury fashion industry. Quality standards also keep on increasing and the price fluctuates depending on demand in the global market,” he explained.
Haller does not breed crocodiles on his property, and they collaborate with locals to gather eggs between December and January.
The villagers are paid Ksh 20 for each egg retrieved, plus a Ksh 25 bonus if the eggs hatch.
“It takes between 76 to 90 days to hatch the eggs. Eggs are transferred three weeks before hatching starts to the farm’s incubators
“Crocodiles are wild animals, you must always be careful when handling them to avoid getting bitten. The key, however, in the farming is to reduce their stress as much as possible so that they stay calm,” he added.
