Crocodile skin
[2] It is rare compared to other hides such as sheep or cow and requires high levels of craftsmanship to prepare it for use in the consumer industry.
[3] Crocodile leather is considered a luxury item utilized by high fashion brands such as Hermes, Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) and Gucci.
[4] Crocodile skin is primarily used in the production of handbags and other luxury items such as shoes, belts, wallets, upholstery, and furniture.
For these products, Freshwater, Saltwater, Nile and Caiman are used because of the superior quality of skin which when tanned has an aesthetic finish.
[8] In Northern and Western Australia crocodile farms carry out ranching which includes captive breeding and harvesting of eggs from the wild.
Fleshing is usually carried out by tanners and is the trimming, scraping and removal of remaining muscle tissue using sharp equipment and high power water jets.
[15] Crocodiles are put into smaller groups to prevent fights and spread of infections are known to lead to scarring and damage of skin which will affect the value of leather.
[16][8] The value of a skin is dependent on how much it is desired by fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and Hermes.
[8] Skin must be preserved carefully as after slaughter there is a loss of immune response and it becomes susceptible to microbial contamination such as scale slip, staining and discoloration[15] and biological damage, e.g. bacterial or fungal infection.
[8][18] The skins are kept in sealed individual bags, though not vacuum packed, to minimize exposure, prevent creasing and simplify handling.
[8] There are 2 main cuts of crocodile skin: The largest width of the belly is measured to gauge the value of the hide.
[5] When designers are purchasing crocodile leather, they must take into consideration the measurements are for the overall size of the hide and not a pattern width.
[14] Papua New Guinea put similar management programs in place which made the trading of crocodile skin economically and commercially viable as it prevented over hunting and depletion in numbers.
Unregulated commercial hunting has resulted in a decline of many crocodile populations so governments have put protection over many reptiles.
In America, it is legal to import sustainably sourced crocodile leather as long as it complies with the restrictions imposed by CITES.
In the Northern Territory tourists can visit Crocodylus Park[23] and Crocosaurus Cove[24] to learn about the crocodiles and the trade.
In response, the Northern Territory established an 'incentive-driven conservation strategy'[26] which encouraged people to protect crocodiles through commercial activity such as farming, tourism, and ranching.
Australian brand Croc Stock and Barra use unwanted sections of skin to handcraft luxury items and ensure waste is limited.
It makes assessments on farming limits and population dynamics to ensure the numbers of Saltwater Crocodile are maintained and never reach the lows of 1972 again.
