Paga Crocodile Pond

Paga Crocodile Pond be a sacred pond insyd Paga insyd de Upper East Region of Ghana, which be inhabited by West African crocodiles. Secof de friendliness of de reptiles, e cam be popular among tourists wey de pond now be reliant on tourism to ensure de population of crocodiles remain fed den healthy. E sanso be known as Chief's pond. Description De pond dey locate insyd Paga insyd de Upper East Region of Ghana, wey e be 44 kilometres (27 mi) outsyd Bolgatanga, de regional capital. E be inhabited by wild West African crocodiles, wey sam up to 90 years old. De crocodiles be so tame say local kiddies fi swim insyd de pond alongside dem widout dem be harmed. Paga be known to be a trade center for centuries den closer to de Burkina Faso border. During de period of de slave traders insyd de mid-1800s, de Westerners use Paga as a gateway to de Gulf of Guinea wich dey point from de north. Though de Paga crocodiles be affable, der be instances wer dem mistaken humans for animals. Nonetheless, such accidents no result in casualties insyd history. Apart from de main crocodile pond wey dey locate insyd de heartland of de Paga town, der be numerous odas insyd de suburbs. Migration De majority of de dams within Paga dey house at least ten crocodiles, chaw of wich fi migrate from de adjoining communities. De migration usually dey occur insyd de night wen de crocs sneak thru de bushes into de closest water bodies. Frequently, de crocodiles move between ponds during de vegetation growth—from July to August— wey dey provide dem plus cover to elude make dem dey see dem by humans. Like de feral crocodiles, mother crocodiles dey carry dema newly hatched offspring insyd dema mouths from de sand banks to de water. De mother crocodiles then provide security to de young ones til dem fi hunt give demaselves. Threats to dema existence De crocodiles at Paga dey face an increasing number of challenges wey dey undermine dema existence. First, climate change dey pose a severe predicament to dema existence. A growing number of de water bodies dey dry up insyd de dry season, wey dey leave de crocs to travel between water bodies all year round. Second, plus increasing income levels, urbanization den infrastructural development along de dams, de crocs now get few private spaces. Encroachment of de surrounding dams dey place a limit on de crocodiles dema existence in relation to breeding. Third, hunger dey pose a menace secof de food sources dey dwindle. Crocodiles naturally dey hunt for chow insyd de wild. However, de climate change-induced droughts dey mean dema food diversity dey reduce. De crocodiles at de Paga Ponds dey compete plus humans for de remaining fish insyd de water. Insyd de main pond, dem dey rely mainly on chicken wey tourists bring. Moreover, de crocodiles at de countryside no dey get de same treatment, thereby e dey lef dem to dema fate. History De locally-told origin of de pond be say a crocodile bring a dying man to de pond make he drink, wey, after surviving, he declare de pond to be sacred den dat make no harm cam to de crocodiles. Dis legend of de crocodiles dem claim to date back to about 600 years. De crocodiles be considered to be totems give dese local people. Anoda story dey state say na a man be trapped against de water ein edge by a lion, wen na he bargain plus a crocodile say none of ein kiddies go harm ein kind if he go kill de lion. E be believed say de souls of de people of Paga dey reside insyd dese crocodiles. E be an offence to kill crocodiles insyd Paga, anaa chop crocodile meat. Tourism De crocodiles at Paga be very friendly. Visitors fi sit, touch den take photographs plus de crocodiles. De crocodiles dey roam freely thru out de pond, wey dem dey bring dem to de shore wen de guides whistle loudly. Tourists then fi take photographs while holding de crocodile ein tails, after de guide feed dem a chicken. Der be concerns say de pond now be too reliant on tourism, wey caretaker Salifu Awewozem dey talk say insyd 2009 de elderly crocodiles dey require specialist care, wey de only time additional chow be provided to de reptiles be wen tourists bia for de chickens wen dem pose for photographs. Tourists dey use Paga as an opportunity to see preserved slave camps. Dem sanso enjoy village tours den evening drumming den dancing by any local cultural group wey dem fi be arranged give dem. Tourists Site insyd Paga De Pikworo Slave Camp dey locate insyd Paga-Nania. Na e be created purposely for holding slaves wey dem bring down from de north. Na slaves be forced to walk about 150 km to de south to de slave market at Salaga. Dem then dey take dem to de coast for shipment. Dem dey call de mystery dam of Kayoro Kukula den de Nasaga Game Reserve about 8 km from Burkina Faso den Paga. Gallery References External links