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Stuffed crocodiles doing the traditional Thai greeting, for sale at a restaurant specializing in crocodile meat in Nakhon Pathom, on the west of Bangkok, Thailand, 22 January 2022. Crocodile meat has grown in popularity as pork meat prices surged following a shortage in pork meat, caused by the spread of African swine fever in the country. Wichai Roongtaweechai, who owns his Roongtaweechai Farm as well as a restaurant specializing in crocodile meat, says he has seen sales of crocodile meat go up by 70 percent due to pork meat prices rising. He has people coming to his farm daily, he says, looking to buy crocodile meat. Wichai's farm is a family business which started as breeding crocodiles for doing business with leather manufacturers, as well as selling baby crocodiles. However the recent trend in crocodile meat means his farm now has had a rise in demand for crocodile meat, both from people wanting to eat at his restaurant, and from larger restaurants looking to add crocodile meat dishes to their menus. Although the price of crocodile meat has also seen a price rise due to the high demand, it is still considerably cheaper than pork, which is also why people have turned to consume more crocodile meat. (Photo by Diego Azubel/EPA/EFE)
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