Photo essay: Up close with Dubai Crocodile Park's 250 predators

The attraction, which opened to the public last month, will keep going throughout the summer

Dubai Crocodile Park in Mushrif Park opened a short while ago and its 250-strong reptile population is already a hit with visitors. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National

The 250 crocodiles at the park include 40 recent hatchlings

Marc Gansuana, crocodile specialist and curator, keeps a close eye on curator Tarryn Abrahams as she cleans algae in the tank

Feeding time at the park

Four-month-old crocodiles under a heat lamp

Nile crocodiles are one of the largest and most aggressive of their kind

Hatchlings being given a health check

Dubai Crocodile Park opened to the public in April

A display at Dubai Crocodile Park

Dubai Crocodile Park covers 20,000 square metres and houses a natural history museum, a themed aquarium and outdoor landscaped areas

Exhibit curator Tarryn Abrahams cleans algae in the tank

A visitor taking pictures at the park

The semi-aquatic reptiles at the park are Nile crocodiles, which are native to freshwater habitats in Africa

Nile crocodiles can reach a maximum length of about six metres and can weigh up to 600kg

Crocodile keeper Notice Ncube gathers eggs from a nest

Feeding time at Dubai Crocodile Park

Crocodile specialist Gansuana shows young visitor Elsie a crocodile egg

Newly laid crocodile eggs

A crocodile nest at the park

Six-year-old Nile crocodiles lazing in the park

Tarryn Abrahams prepares to clean a tank

Eggs from a clutch of 52 gathered from a nest

Equipment being cleaned after feeding time

Chief curator Marc Gansuana with head keeper Allen Banana at Dubai Crocodile Park

Of the 250 crocodiles at the park, 150 are adults

Visitors can watch the animals feeding at the park four days a week, from Thursday to Sunday, at 5.30pm

Head keeper Allen Banana feeding the animals

A visitor at the park

Food being prepared for the crocodiles

The park is also home to a natural history museum

Dubai Crocodile Park's temperature-controlled water will ensure the attraction is open throughout the summer

Less than a month after it opened to the public, Dubai Crocodile Park is already thriving, with the recent arrival of 40 hatchlings.

Born in the 20,000-square-metre facility in Mushrif Park, the hatchlings are part of a 250-strong family of Nile crocodiles, one of the largest and most aggressive of their kind, that now call the park home.

Marc Gansuana, 48, the head curator at Dubai Crocodile Park, says the attraction was created to focus on “education and knowledge”.

“You won't get the same experience in zoos anywhere,” he tells The National. “Here, you get to see them up close, watch them interact with each other, feed and sometimes even fight.

“The common knowledge is that these are dangerous predators, which they are. But they are also beautiful animals and only at the park you will really be able to appreciate that, and also understand how they have been able to survive since the time of the dinosaurs.”

Nile crocodiles are native to freshwater habitats in Africa. They can reach a maximum size of about six metres and can weigh as much as 500kg or 600kg. They are also known as one of the most aggressive predators.

Of the 250 crocodiles at Dubai Crocodile Park, 150 are adults, comprising 120 females and 30 males.

About 5,000 square metres of the park is dedicated to the crocodiles, while the venue is also home to a natural history museum, an African lake-themed aquarium and outdoor landscaped areas. The plan is to introduce restaurants soon.

While crocodiles often hibernate during long summers or drought in a process called aestivation, where they go into long period of sleep for months, Gansuana says the park has been built to ensure a comfortable year-round temperature for its inhabitants.

“For the fist time in the world, we have built a cooling system in the water to ensure that despite the UAE summer heat, the crocodiles will still be comfortable in the water,” says the French crocodile specialist, who has been working with the reptiles for the past 25 years.

The park will remain open throughout the summer, he adds.

Feeding hour is four times a week, on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, at 5.30pm.

Dubai Crocodile Park is open daily from 10am to 10pm. Tickets cost Dh95 per adult and Dh75 per child. More information is available at dubaicrocodilepark.com