Davao Crocodile Park: Ecotourism at its best

If you think you will only catch sight of crocodiles at the Davao Crocodile Park, then you are wrong! In fact, you will also have the opportunity of seeing different kinds of birds (including ostrich), tigers, snakes, monkeys, butterflies, and even bees.

But the center of attraction is still the crocodiles, which have been around for more than 200 million years and are the lone survivors of the Jurassic Age. The Philippines is home to two kinds of crocodiles: the Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) and the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). Both species are considered endangered and can live from 60 up to 80 years – if left undisturbed.

The Philippine crocodile grows up to three meters and weighs up to 100 kilograms in its adult stage. It resides in freshwater lakes and rivers. The saltwater crocodile dwells on brackish waters but it also known to survive in freshwater lakes and rivers. A female can grow up to five meters and the male up to six meters. Their weight can reach up to one ton. Among the two species, the saltwater crocodile is more aggressive.

The mere thought of a crocodile makes some people shudder with fear and revulsion. A rumor about the presence of crocodiles in a river would make people shun the area. Well, at the Davao Crocodile Park, there are more crocodiles than you can think of. But don’t worry; they are grouped in well-secured cages.

The most breathtaking among all these crocodiles is “Pangil” (Filipino term for “fang”). Reportedly the country’s second largest at 18 feet long, the reptile must be more than 60 years old. “Pangil” has an exclusive pond where people can ogle.

The crocodiles are fed twice a week, in amounts equivalent to five percent of the crocodile’s body mass. With the bigger crocodiles living in their own pond/garden enclosure, the keepers toss the food over the fence. For the smaller crocodiles, the keepers go into their cages to hand out the food personally.

The park also has facilities solely for the propagation of these intimidating reptiles. There’s an incubation room, which is totally restricted to the public. The nursery room is filled with lizard-like creatures. When they get big enough, they are transferred to two yearling pens, which now hold about 50-60 smaller crocodiles between the ages of one to three years old.

“My fascination with crocodiles began in the 1980s,” said Philip “Sonny” Dizon, owner of the crocodile park. On a business trip to New York, he saw footwear made of crocodile skin in a shoe store selling the merchandise at US$800 a pair.

From there, a lucrative business plan was formulated, especially after Sonny learned that crocodiles are raised in the United States and Australia not just for public viewing but for the manufacture of shoes and bags as well. “It was then that I toyed with the idea of creating a crocodile farm in the Philippines,” he admitted.

In November 1995, the government gave him the accreditation and permits to operate a crocodile park. A decade later, on August 18, 2005, the world-class Davao Crocodile Park – with the help of consultant Dr. Gilbert Buenviaje -- was opened to the public.

Today, the business venture has blossomed into a tourism destination. It is not only open for public viewing and entertainment, but also as a venue for educational tours and promotion of public awareness through regular lectures. The park has also become a conservation area for crocodiles and other wildlife species. It is also a field laboratory for students in various subjects like biology, zoology, animal science, and veterinary medicine.

According to Sonny, the park has already released 43 Philippine freshwater crocodiles to the Mandug Conservation area in Davao City, with the hope that the initiative will increase the hatching process and survival rate of the reptiles. “Conserving and preserving our wildlife would help sustain jobs in the long run for our fellowmen,” he pointed out.

But crocodiles are not the only animals that can be found in Davao Crocodile Park. There are also other exotic animals, including an orangutan, a civet, marmots, an alpaca, Palawan bear cats, wild boars, a tiger, raptors, Philippine deer, and an albino python, among others. Colorful birds -- macaus, parrots, lovebirds, even eagles -- are the first wildlife species that greet guests and visitors. Some were in cages, some were tied to bird houses. Some of them were wildly irritated with being locked in a cage, while some were doing their own thing -- flirting with their mate.

The ostriches have their own barnyard. It seems they shy away from people wanting to take her photo up close. The Ostrich was originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work, Systema Naturae. Its scientific name is derived from Latin struthio meaning “ostrich” and camelus meaning “camel,” alluding to its dry habitat. The ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any living bird (extinct elephant birds of Madagascar and giant moa of New Zealand laid larger eggs).

If butterflies fascinate you, then visit the Davao Butterfly House, just a few steps away from the center of the park. Upon entering, butterflies fly around you, crawling on the floor, drinking water on festive plates, and even mating! The brochure says it all: “Learn the notable and unusual life cycle of a butterfly – from larval caterpillar stage to spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colorful winged adult form.”

Aside from the butterflies, the butterfly house also boasts of lush vegetation and a pond. Here’s one observation of a recent visitor: “You will see butterflies of virtually any color you can imagine, and not just a few of them – literally hundreds of butterflies (maybe thousands) flying around enjoying the lush vegetation, colorful flowers and even a koi pond. It’s a great place to visit. I recommend it highly for families with kids. It would probably make a sort of romantic spot for a guy with his girlfriend, too.”

The stroll around the crocodile park and its amenities will make you feel as if you were a grade school pupil all over again, when zoos were the usual venues for field trips. As one visitor puts it: “It was nice to be a kid once more, excited and thrilled, looking forward to what kind of animal would surprise and educate me next. It gave me a better understanding and appreciation of animals, something I haven’t done for a long, long time.”

[ Davao City Wiki ]