Egypt's Nubians Tame Crocodiles for Selfie-Snapping Tourists

Mamdouh Hassan (R) shows a crocodile to visitors at his crocodile terrarium in the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil, on the west bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt | AFP
Mamdouh Hassan (R) shows a crocodile to visitors at his crocodile terrarium in the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil, on the west bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt | AFP
TT
20

Egypt's Nubians Tame Crocodiles for Selfie-Snapping Tourists

Mamdouh Hassan (R) shows a crocodile to visitors at his crocodile terrarium in the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil, on the west bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt | AFP
Mamdouh Hassan (R) shows a crocodile to visitors at his crocodile terrarium in the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil, on the west bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt | AFP

Deep in the Nubia, a region along the Nile in southern Egypt, a baby crocodile sits on Mamdouh Hassan's shoulder to wow tourists.

The reptiles are a source of income for Egypt's Nubian minority, with visitors paying to marvel at the tamed creatures.

But beyond bringing in tourist dollars, crocodiles play an important role in the culture of the ethnic group with a history dating to Pharaonic times and its own unique language.

The Nubians traditionally lived along the banks of the Nile in southern Egypt with roots extending into northern Sudan.

In Gharb Soheil, a Nubian village near Aswan, mummified crocodile heads still adorn the doors of the traditional blue and white-domed homes.

Crocodiles represent an important physical totem of blessings in Nubian belief.

In Gharb Soheil a stuffed crocodile on the door shows that the homeowner keeps the large reptiles as pets.

Outside his humble home in the village, Hassan gently rubbed the back of Francesca -- a 1.5-meter (five-foot)-long, 15-year-old crocodile.

"I have raised her since she was born," the 45-year-old said lovingly of his pride and joy.

"She lives on fish, meat, and chicken."

- Pet crocodiles -

During the reign of president Gamal Abdel Nasser, the construction of the Aswan High Dam created a reservoir over traditional Nubian lands.

When Lake Nasser began filling in 1964, 44 Nubian villages were flooded.

While the Nile's crocodiles benefited from the new habitat, Nasser never fulfilled his promise to adequately compensate Nubians with new land.

Instead, about 50,000 Nubians were displaced to villages north of the dam, on the west bank of the Nile near Kom Ombo and Aswan -- a narrow strip of land with limited space for agriculture.

Ever since, Nubians have demanded the return of their lands and have maintained their culture by modernizing their traditions. Keeping crocodiles became a way to supplement incomes and promote their heritage.

Hassan learned to domesticate crocodiles from his father.

"My father was one of the first people in the Nubian village who really pioneered the idea of bringing in crocodiles as pets to lure tourists," he told AFP.

In the 20 years since, he has developed a keen sense for where and when wild crocodile eggs will hatch.

Female crocodiles lay their eggs along the banks of Lake Nasser where Hassan watches for the baby reptiles to emerge before carrying them home.

"The crocodile's aggressive nature is tempered by growing up in the home with us and being cared for," he said.

Francesca is the star of the show in the village, Hassan says. She was named by Italian tourists who enjoyed her sunny personality, so Hassan kept the name.

Visitors snap selfies with the lounging beasts, while the villagers regale the tourists with Nubian folk tales about the crocodiles.

Hany, a tourist from Cairo, was delighted with the spectacle of Hassan opening the crocodiles' mouths wide with his bare hands.

"I came here with my family to spend school holidays, for the kids to enjoy seeing the crocs," the 35-year-old said.

- 'Angels of the Nile' -

For ancient Pharaohs, the crocodile-headed god Sobek embodied the fluid nature of the Nile and was prayed to for protection from the annual floods.

A temple is dedicated to Sobek in Kom Ombo, engraved with pictograms and hieroglyphics detailing the embalming of crocodiles.

To this day, Nubians maintain a tradition of crocodile taxidermy, one that remains true to a centuries-old technique.

"Although we know very well the value of crocodile leather, we do not sell it... we cherish it," Hassan explained.

A dead crocodile is skinned from its gut and filled with straw or sawdust. Large crocodiles take about a month to mummify while a smaller one dries in a few days, Hassan said.

"This is Franco, who died last month," he said of the large mummified head of one of his former pets.

Abdel-Hakim Abdou, a curly-haired, 37-year-old cafe owner who recommends Hassan's terrarium as a must-see tourist attraction, rhapsodized about the importance of crocodiles to Nubians.

"The Nile for the Nubian represents life... everything that roams in it we consider angels," he said.



Zimbabwe to Cull Elephants and Distribute Meat to People 

A group of elephants and giraffes walk near a carcass of an elephant at a watering hole inside Hwange National Park, in Zimbabwe, October 23, 2019. (Reuters)
A group of elephants and giraffes walk near a carcass of an elephant at a watering hole inside Hwange National Park, in Zimbabwe, October 23, 2019. (Reuters)
TT
20

Zimbabwe to Cull Elephants and Distribute Meat to People 

A group of elephants and giraffes walk near a carcass of an elephant at a watering hole inside Hwange National Park, in Zimbabwe, October 23, 2019. (Reuters)
A group of elephants and giraffes walk near a carcass of an elephant at a watering hole inside Hwange National Park, in Zimbabwe, October 23, 2019. (Reuters)

Zimbabwe will cull dozens of elephants and distribute the meat for consumption to ease the ballooning population of the animals, its wildlife authority said Tuesday.

The southern Africa country is home to the second-biggest elephant population in the world after Botswana.

The cull at a vast private game reserve in the southeast would initially target 50 elephants, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) said in a statement.

It did not say how many of the animals would be killed in total or over what period.

An aerial survey in 2024 showed the reserve, the Save Valley Conservancy, had 2,550 elephants, more than triple its carrying capacity of 800, ZimParks said.

At least 200 have been translocated to other parks over the past five years.

"Elephant meat from the management exercise will be distributed to local communities while ivory will be state property that will be handed over to the ZimParks for safekeeping," it said.

Zimbabwe is unable to sell its stockpile of tusks due to a global ban on ivory trading.

Tuesday's announcement came a day after four people were arrested in the capital Harare with more than 230 kilograms (500 pounds) of ivory for which they were allegedly seeking a buyer.

In 2024, Zimbabwe culled 200 elephants as it faced an unprecedented drought that led to food shortages. It was the first major cull since 1988.

The move to hunt the elephants for food has drawn sharp criticism, particularly as the animals are a major tourism draw.