Friendly Pagi crocodiles
Paga is a small town in the north of Ghana, conveniently located near the border with Burkina Faso. Why is he remarkable? Yes, because one of the most frightening creatures on the planet lives here - huge crocodiles. They just behave quite peacefully and calmly, they are not afraid of people and are practically tame.
These reptiles settled in Crocodile Pond, about 44 km from Bolgatanga, the capital of this region. Here they calmly swim side by side with the kids, while local mothers wash their clothes on the shore. And not once in the entire history of the existence of crocodiles here, not one of them attacked a person. Locals respect these animals - they believe that their souls are connected with the souls of people. They say that if some important inhabitant dies in the city, then one sacred crocodile in the pond becomes less.
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1. According to local legend, a long time ago a hunter was trapped between a pond and a lion chasing him. He made a deal with the crocodile in the pond: he and his descendants would not eat the crocodile if it helped him cross the pond and escape death at the lion's paws.
2. The crocodile agreed and helped the hunter across the pond. The hunter built a house on the other side and founded a village.
3. According to another story, there was once a Nave who left his home in Burkina Faso and wandered into this country.
4. He got lost while looking for water and met a crocodile who led him to a water hole. It was then that Nave decided to found Paga on this site. And in gratitude to the crocodile, he promised that none of his descendants would eat their meat.
5. In general, no one knows how the crocodiles ended up in Pag. The pond is completely cut off from other bodies of water, and the oldest crocodiles living here are over 80 years old.
6. There are two crocodile ponds in Pag. The first one is located on the highway, 12 km from Navrango, and is called the Main Pond. The second is Zenga Crocodile Pond, a five-minute drive from the main road to the Pagi border.
7. Guides working near ponds use live chickens paid for by tourists to lure crocodiles out of the water, where tourists can pet them or take pictures with them. Sometimes children and even adults sit on their backs - and nothing, seemingly no incidents so far.
Keywords: Crocodiles | Reptiles