Set amidst the charming backdrop of a 60 year old jungle, Jong’s farm has an interesting history; it all started with six baby crocodiles which were sold to the father of Johnson Jong — the man who established the property in 1963.
Not too long ago, Jong’s Crocodile Farm was known as a historical place for records and stories of Sarawak’s crocodile and stories of infamous attacks.
It was where the skull of Malaysia’s most famous crocodile, a 5.88m-long (19ft 3in) monster, dubbed “Bujang Senang” is the centre of attraction.
But today all that has changed as Jong’s Crocodile Farm is now not only a “Garden Park”, but a place of learning about the world’s oldest animal — the million-year-old species and the disappearing denizens of the Sarawak forests.
At the turn of the 20th century, Sarawak had a wealth of flora and fauna but since the advent of modern development, hundreds of thousands of animals, have fallen to the gun and ended up in the cooking pot.
Needless to say, the wild meat fed the native populations living in the interior; the two-horned Rhinoceros was practically wiped out together with “tembadau” (wild cattles) and Sarawak’s native small wild goats called “serow”.
And sadly some of the exotic and protected animals such the Proboscis monkey, Gibbon and Clouded Leopard also fell victim to trophy hunters.
Now, Jong’s Crocodile Farm, located 30km away from Kuching, is trying to showcase the remaining wildlife to the community and the younger generations.
Apart from being Malaysia’s biggest crocodile breeding farm, the four-acre property is home to over 1000 saltwater crocodiles of the Crocodylus Porosus species.
It has also attracted world attention because it is the only location where the endangered long-snout False Gharial freshwater crocodile eggs are being hatched.
It is a now a place where school children and their families have the opportunity to learn about the Sarawak’s fauna — macaques, leopard cats, sun bears, bear cats, civets, mongoose and otters as well as “Kijang” barking deer, “Rusa” sambar deer and bearded wild boar.
Signboards at the various enclosures describe the history of the animals and the birds; and the farm have also developed a picturesque lake where the world’s largest fish — the South American Arapaima which can grow up to 15 feet — can be seen during feeding time.
The farm also has a special section that houses various species of birds, ducks, pheasants and hornbills, gigantic “Keluang” fruit bats, monitor lizards, and reticulated pythons.
Set amidst the charming backdrop of a 60 year old jungle, Jong’s farm also has an interesting history; it all started with six baby crocodiles which was sold to the father of Johnson Jong — the man who established the property in 1963.
From a barren swampland, the farm is now spread over lush vegetation and local fruit trees in a “perfect sanctuary” for the reptiles in Johnson’s life-long crusade to save the species from extinction.
The Jong family have spent a great fortune developing the property which has a network of deep concrete ponds and natural breeding grounds for the crocodiles to mate and multiply, and in their efforts managed to turn the farm into a world-recognised site for conservation of the reptiles.
Interestingly, the location is wheelchair-friendly and even the elderly or handicapped have the opportunity to share in the joys the sight of God’s creation.
Jong’s farm also hosts a twice-daily “Jumping show” where visitors can vide first-hand how the crocodiles catch their prey; the stalking process, the burst of power using its tail and the terrifying snapping jaws.
Before leaving, be sure to get a copy of a book entitled “Man-Eating Crocodiles of Borneo” written by James Ritchie and Johnson Jong with the help of Professor Indraneil Das of the University of Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).
The book — which has the pictures and stories of the exploits, capture and killing of “Bujang Senang” and other crocodiles — is published by Kota Kinabalu Natural History Publications cultural buff Datuk Chan Chew Lun. leaving only the head.
