Arbaminch crocodile ranch is located 7km northeast of Sikela. It is the only crocodile ranch in East Africa. The ranch was established on the Southwest shore of Lake Abaya adjacent to “Nech – Sar” National Park in 1984 . It is aimed to conserve the globally threatened Nile crocodile population, to earn foreign currency by exporting crocodile skins and meat to the world market and for tourism purpose.
Currently, there are about 7000 crocodiles preserved in separate places according to their age. The species of the crocodile in the ranch is the Nile crocodile, which is the largest and aggressive species from all 4 types of crocs in Africa. Nile crocodile can live up to 80 years, long as 5-7m and weight up to 120 kg. Visiting the ranch gives an understanding about life cycle of crocodile, and an opportunity to watch 32 year aged huge crocs in
the ranch.
