Long ago, legend tells that a hunter was trapped between a pond and a hungry lion. He made a deal with a crocodile that if the crocodile would agree to help him cross the pond and escape the lion, he and his descendants would never eat crocodile meat. The crocodile agreed and safely carried him across (There are also other legends on this topic).
Paga is a very small town in Ghana on the Ghana/Burkina Faso border. Nobody really knows how the crocodiles ended up in Paga since the pond is completely landlocked. Actually, there are two ponds in Paga. The first one is called the Chief Pond and the other is called the Zenga Crocodile Pond. Also, check out this to see more crocodile photos! Paga is recognized for the friendly nature of the crocodiles in its ponds. Tourists can use live chicken to invite the crocodiles out of the water and onto land where tourists can pet them or take pictures with them. Visitors can also sit, touch, and take photographs with these live crocodiles.
The crocodiles roam freely throughout the ponds and never harmed anyone before. It is common to find children and adults sitting on the backs of the crocodiles lifting their heavy tails. However, visitors should not be crowded too close to the pond because of one of the safety guides used at the site. It is also offensive to kill crocodiles in Paga since many people believe that the souls of the people of Paga belongs in these crocodiles.
Crocodiles are generally aggressive, but surprising not in the town of Paga. Wouldn’t it be really cool to see a generally aggressive animal being so friendly and admired? I think it would be really cool to see these animals but I probably wouldn’t get too close because on the one hand, they are still wild animals. However on the other hand, these crocodiles have been around for a long time and many people come and go so they shouldn’t hurt people. So, would you like to visit these friendly crocodiles someday? Also, why do you think these crocodiles behave this way in Paga?
Crocodiles are generally aggressive, but surprising not in the town of Paga. Wouldn’t it be really cool to see a generally aggressive animal being so friendly and admired? I think it would be really cool to see these animals but I probably wouldn’t get too close because on the one hand, they are still wild animals. However on the other hand, these crocodiles have been around for a long time and many people come and go so they shouldn’t hurt people. So, would you like to visit these friendly crocodiles someday? Also, why do you think these crocodiles behave this way in Paga?
First of all I think it is amazing that people can have such a close relationship with these crocodiles, and that this animal is so respected by the locals. To answer your question I think that these crocodiles are so tame because they live closely to humans. The ponds that the crocodiles are living in are surrounded by land, which has humans settled on them. In addition to that maybe since the adults are gentle towards humans, the young do the same and it passes from generation to the next. Do you have similar thoughts? If not why do you think that the crocodiles are tame?
ReplyDeleteYes I think that would make complete sense for the crocodiles to be tame since they live so close to humans. This way they are not as wild because they are used to humans. Also I think the crocodiles can tell that the humans show respect for the crocodiles and are not scared of them so this way the crocodile responds in the same way. Animals can tell if you show respect to them. That's pretty cool. ;)
DeleteFirst I need to say that this a amazing that you wrote like 400 words. I also need to say that this is so weird that the crocs let people sit on them, play with them st by them it’s just so crazy. With most people crocs would try to scare them away or bite them. The legend is pretty weird if you ask me like the croc lets the person ride him across the water and now the people and the crocs are like owner and pet. Also you might want to get that bitten arm checked out by a doctor.
ReplyDeleteHa thanks... yeah it is weird but it's cool too. Also I don't really believe in the legend since humans don't talk to crocodiles but I guess it's a good explanation for why the humans in Paga act this way. I was trying to make a catchy title and thankfully, my arm didn't get bit off I hope.
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