The Paga Crocodile Pond, a sacred pond in Paga in the Upper East Region of Ghana, which is inhabited by West African crocodiles, has become popular among tourists due to the friendliness of the reptiles.
The pond is now reliant on tourism to ensure the population of crocodiles remain fed and healthy. It is also known as Chiefs pond.
The pond which is located in Paga in the Upper East Region of Ghana, is 44 kilometres (27 mi) outside Bolgatanga, the regional capital. It is inhabited by wild West African crocodiles, with some up to 90 years old. The crocodiles are so tame that local children can swim in the pond alongside them without being harmed.
Paga is known to be a trade center for centuries and closer to the Burkina Faso border. During the period of the slave traders in mid 1800s, they used Paga as a gateway to the Gulf of Guinea which points from the north.
According to legend, the origin of the pond was that a crocodile brought a dying man to the pond to drink, who after surviving, declared the pond to be sacred and that no harm should come to the crocodiles. This legend of the crocodiles is claimed to date back to about 600 years. The crocodiles are considered to be totems for these local people. Another story states that a man was trapped against the water’s edge by a lion, when he bargained with a crocodile that none of his children would harm his kind if he would kill the lion. It is believed that the souls of the people of Paga resides in these crocodiles. It is an offence to kill crocodiles in Paga, or eat crocodile meat.
The crocodiles at Paga are very friendly. Visitors can sit, touch and take photographs with the crocodiles. The crocodiles roam freely throughout the pond, and are brought to the shore when the guides whistle loudly. Tourists can then take photographs while holding the crocodile’s tails, after the guide has fed them a chicken.
There have been concerns that the pond is now too reliant on tourism, with caretaker Salifu Awewozem saying in 2009 that the elderly crocodiles require special care, and the only time additional food is provided to the reptiles is when tourists pay for the chickens when they pose for photographs. Tourists use Paga as an opportunity to see preserved slave camps. The also enjoy village tours and evening drumming and dancing by any local cultural group could be arranged for them.
REFERENCE
1. Available online at, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paga_Crocodile_Pond.
