The first proposal for such a venture came in 1924 when David George Stead, the Fisheries Enquiry Commissioner of British Malaya, suggested that Singapore could serve as a hub for the surrounding islands in the development of a crocodile leather industry.
Lancelot Ambrose Scudamore Jermyn, a member of the Malayan Educational Service, strongly advocated for hunting and utilizing crocodiles.
Jermyn conducted early experiments in crocodile leather production, eventually achieving success after numerous failed attempts.
Originally created to share Tan's passion for crocodiles, the farm also supplied skins to his tannery, which produced items such as shoes, wallets, belts, and handbags.
The remaining 87 farms cited purely economic reasons for keeping crocodiles, viewing them as a lucrative sideline to their poultry operations.
[18] Despite the boom in the import and export of crocodile skins, Singapore was not a party to CITES, a multilateral treaty that protects endangered plants and animals from the threats of international trade.
[20] Crocodile leather handbags and clothing became popular items sold to tourists, with Raffles Place Garden featuring them as early as 1965.
[21] By 1971, when Commonwealth delegates visited Singapore, their wives were taken to a crocodile farm and tanning facility, which was highlighted as a key part of the tour.
[25] The $10 million park project aimed to provide both entertainment and education, featuring an amusement center, tanning workshops, and a 200-seat auditorium for visitors.
The World Wildlife Fund stated that crocodile skins were taken illegally from their country of origin and shipped to Singapore and re-exported to European and US markets.
With the implementation of the treaty, all trade in endangered wildlife and raw materials became regulated by the Primary Production Department of Singapore, which assumed responsibility for overseeing and controlling such transactions.
In the early years of Singapore's crocodile industry, many animals were brought in with falsified papers, which led to difficulties as stricter regulations took effect.
In 2011, French multinational luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH, announced the acquisition of crocodile leather supplier Heng Long, purchasing a 51% stake in the company, which was valued at 92 million euros at the time of the transaction.