Jong's Crocodile Farm and Zoo
Siburan, Sarawak

entrance to Jong's crocodile farm

Jong's Crocodile Farm and Zoo is the largest and first captive breeding crocodile farm in Malaysia. It is situated on the Kuching Serian Highway around 29km from Kuching. It was the brainchild of Mr Yong Kian Sen, an animal lover and conservationist, who began his crocodile collection back in 1963.

Just inside the entrance is a small museum providing background information on crocodiles such as size, weight, diet and their useful role in nature. There are photographs of some giant crocs which have been captured in Sarawak over the decades, some of which have ended up at Jong's. Among the displays is the skull of a notorious man-eating crocodile called Bujang Senang, one of the largest ever caught in Sarawak.

crocodile enjoying the shadeCroc enjoying the shade.

There are a lot of crocodiles at Jong's with over 2,000 bred in captivity. There are six big ponds where large specimens lurk menacingly beneath the murky green water, surfacing from time to time for air. These ponds are surrounded by natural looking vegetation and mud banks where crocodiles rest in the shade or wallow in the cooling puddles. Two of these ponds are designated as feeding ponds with seating outside for visitors to watch the feeding shows which are held twice a day. The zookeeper ties large chunks of chicken to a rope which is then winched across the lake to hover above the waiting crocodiles. The crocodiles who are hungry enough use their incredibly strong tails to partially raise themselves out of the water so that they can snatch the chicken in their jaws before disappearing again below the surface of the pond. (See the video below and hear the crocodile burp!) After the show the crocodiles resume their lazy day. They don't seem to expend energy unnecessarily which is perhaps why they have been such a successful species and have been around since the dinosaurs.

Apart from the feeding ponds their are other enclosures for breeding and smaller pens for juvenile crocs.  The largest and oldest crocs at Jong's get their own private pens such as Bujang Lupar, a male 5.1 meters long who was hatched at Jong's Crocodile Farm in 1976 and is Malaysia's largest captive bred saltwater crocodile. He shares an enclosure with a female companion called Siti Lupar who was hatched in 1997 and is 3.7m long.

Bujang Lupar and Siti Lupar crocodilesSweethearts, despite the age difference.

The largest pond in the farm contains freshwater tropical fish (and no crocodiles) including the giant Arapaima.

one of the seating pavilions alngside the pondPhoto spot next to the arapaima pond.

Apart from various types of crocodile and gharial there is a mini-zoo including Malayan porcupines, buffy fish owls, giant snakehead and pacu fish, red-eared slider turtles, amboina box turtles, alligator snapping turtles, bearcats, giant iguanas, monitor lizards and oriental bay owls. The peacock garden is a nice aviary where peacocks, hens and geese stroll around freely next to a pond filled with carp. There is also a petting zoo section and some large monkey cages.

peacock with feathers displayed

Review Verdict

We spent a couple of hours here and enjoyed our visit. I have visited other crocodile farms in Malaysia, Thailand and elsewhere. This is one of the best ones. Being founded by an animal lover rather than purely for profit, the crocodiles seem happy in their spacious, natural-looking ponds. Some of the enclosures, such as for the juveniles, seem small and crowded but apparently young crocs like the company.

crowded crocodile enclosure

Opening Hours & Admission Charges

Open daily including public holidays.

9am - 5 pm (last admission 4.30pm).

Feeding Times

  • Crocodiles: 11am and 3pm
  • Arapaima: 11.30 and 3.30pm

Ticket Prices

Malaysian with MyKad/MyKid

  • Adult RM 25
  • Child (ages 3-11) RM12
  • Below age 3: Free

Non-Malaysian

  • Adult RM 50
  • Child RM 25

How To Get to Jong's Crocodile Farm and Zoo

The exact location is marked on this map:

Address:

Siburan, 29Km Kuching-Serian Road, 94200 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia 

Phone: +6 082-863570
Email: jongsoffice@gmail.com

See the official website for more details.

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