 La
Vanille Crocodile Park and Nature Reserve is situated in a forested
valley in the south of Mauritius at Rivière des Anguilles
and specialises in the breeding of Nile Crocodiles (Crocodilus
Niloticus) imported in 1984 from Madagascar. The farm was established
by an Australian Zoologist and his wife and a Mauritian Microbiologist
and has just 1000 crocodiles. Finished crocodile products are
manufactured locally for sale at the farm shop.
 Nile
crocodiles are ‘social’ crocodiles and a number
of breeders can be kept in the same enclosure. Each female
lays up to 40 eggs, always in October or November. The eggs
are artificially incubated at 320C and take 80 days to hatch.
The sex of the young crocodiles is dependent on the temperature
of egg incubation, which females produced with constant lower
temperatures, and males at higher temperatures. The hatching
are kept indoors for their first year and are then moved outside
to growing pens.
 In
addition to the crocodiles, ‘La Vanille’ is also
a mini zoo of Mauritian fauna. Most of the Mauritian mammals
and reptiles can be seen including skinks, phelsumas, tortoises,
turtles, bats, deers, mongooses, monkeys, pigs, as well as
domestic livestock such as goats, fat-tailed sheep and donkeys.
All is set in a rain forested valley studded with natural
springs and streams. The springs contain freshwater prawns
and fish. Guided tours are provided; a restaurant and a shop
on the premises.
The park is open daily and for further information, contact
your land operator.
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