Quick Take
- Walking through 10,000 hungry crocodiles sounds like a nightmare, yet one Thai farmer does it completely calmly. See the viral scene →
- His exit strategy after dumping the meat is the part nobody would think to plan for. Watch Panya's exit strategy →
- Crocodiles surrounded by a pile of meat still aren't eating the way you'd expect, and their biology explains why. Explore their slow metabolism →
There are plenty of animal-feeding moments that feel downright adorable. Maybe it is your dog wagging its tail the second its food bowl hits the floor. Maybe it is a trip to the petting zoo, where goats eagerly nibble food from a child’s hand. Or maybe it is the sight of fish rushing to the surface the moment flakes hit the water.
Feeding more than 10,000 crocodiles, however, is a very different kind of animal encounter. It is not exactly cute and cuddly, but it is certainly memorable. The video above captures a crocodile farmer in Thailand doing a job most people would never volunteer for.
Crocodile Feeding in Thailand
The short YouTube clip, shared by USA Today, takes us to Thailand, where a farmer feeds a massive group of crocodiles, showing just how intense this daily routine can look from the outside.
This is not a man tossing treats to a few calm reptiles. This is a feeding scene involving thousands of crocodiles, a bucket of meat, and one farmer calmly walking through the middle of it all.
Farmer Feeds Thousands of Crocodiles
The farmer in the video is Panya Siangjong of Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. According to the video description, he feeds more than 10,000 hungry crocodiles.
As the clip begins, we see a watery enclosure with a shallow center path. The farmer walks straight through the middle, carrying a large bucket filled with meat. Around him, crocodiles move through the water and gather near the path.
The scene is tense because he appears remarkably calm while surrounded by reptiles that are clearly focused on the food. The crocodiles follow him as he moves, waiting for the moment the meat hits the ground.
Then, the farmer dumps out the bucket.
The crocodiles immediately crowd around the food. Once they are busy feeding, the farmer has to make his way back through the enclosure. He uses a long stick to gently push some of the crocodiles to the side and walks back along the path.
The feeding does not stop there. He also lays meat along the center path so more crocodiles can reach it. Toward the end of the video, the farmer throws meat into a separate adult crocodile section.
It is the kind of scene that makes you understand just how different crocodile farming is from feeding almost any other animal.
How Often Do Crocodiles Eat?
One thing the video makes clear is that these crocodiles are very interested in food. However, crocodiles do not need to eat every day in the way many warm-blooded animals do.
How often a crocodile eats can depend on its size, species, temperature, and food availability. In the wild, crocodiles may go days between meals, especially when prey is not easy to catch.
Large crocodiles are patient predators. They have slower metabolisms than mammals, which helps them conserve energy. That is one reason crocodiles can survive long gaps between meals when necessary.
Their diet also changes depending on their age and size. Young crocodiles may eat smaller prey, while larger crocodiles can take bigger animals when the opportunity arises. Crocodiles are carnivores, and their meals can include fish, crustaceans, birds, mammals, and other animals they are able to overpower.
In the video above, these farmed crocodiles are being fed meat in a controlled setting. Judging by the feeding frenzy around the bucket, they were more than ready for their meal.
