For the last 15 years, one daring man in the shores of Lake Baringo took it upon himself to feed huge crocodiles that every so often, pounced on unsuspecting residents at the shore.
Moses Emuria started feeding the crocodiles which he has named after celebrities and his two daughters when he was just 10 years old at the Kampi ya Samaki Beach.
Today, the class three dropout calls them by name and the reptiles respond to his call by swimming ashore ready to enjoy a meal.
In an exclusive interview with KTN on Friday, Emuria said his passion to bind with the reptile began in 2003 when he visited the shore and found one of the reptiles basking in the sun.
He fed it with fish and it responded in a friendly manner; it did not attack him.
“My first encounter was in 2003. I had gone fishing. One crocodile was sleeping by the shores of the lake. I think I woke it up with my footsteps. I offered it fish. It ate and did not attack me. It was friendly and I was amazed,” recalled Emuria.
“The following day, I found the crocodile at the same spot. I gave it fish again and still, it did not attack me. It became a habit. Today, I feed up to five crocodiles every day and none has ever attacked me.”
“After the first encounter with a crocodile, which ended well, I decided to feed them. I feed at least five crocodiles a day and it has been a fulfilling journey.”
The popular names he calls his reptiles are Suzzana and singer Jaguar-he named one of the reptiles after the musician turned politician when he visited the beach some years back.
He named it after Jaguar because of his Kigeugeu hit. The reptile had once tried to bite him.
The oldest crocodile is called Kongo. “I decided to name them because I felt they had become a part of my family. The names make it easy for me to identify them. I named them Sylia and Eriko. Each crocodile I feed has a name.”
Residents who have lost animals to the reptiles are amazed at how Emuria has managed to tame the reptiles.
But as he appears at the shore, he taps the water with a stick and the reptiles quickly swim to where he is. Surprisingly, he does not take off and they never attack him as he feeds them.
He collects fish from other fishermen and intestines which he feeds the crocodile. He can spot them from afar and call them by name.
“I can identify them from a distance just by looking at them. Kongo’s tail is cut after it hit it against a tree.”
The Kenya Wildlife Services have issued him a license that allows him to feed the animals. At one point, he helped them capture one of the reptiles being taken to the museum in Kitale but had remained elusive to KWS officers.
With his amazing interaction with the reptiles, tourism at the beach has risen with a single international tourist being charged Sh1, 500 to see the reptiles interact with Emuria. Local tourists are charged Sh500.
Emuria makes Sh5000 every day.
Since bonding with the reptiles, incidences of crocodile-human being conflict have reduced in the last five years.