Menji Crocodile Pond awaits devt to attract tourists
Menji, a farming community located in the Tain District in the Bono Region, has an unrefined tourism facility, the "Menji Crocodile Pond".
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Located about eight kilometres from Nsawkaw, the Tain District capital, the natural gift can serve as an alternative to the famous Paga Crocodile Pond if measures are put in place to develop this tourism facility.
Even in its current state, visitors have the opportunity to come close to the crocodiles, which come out of the pond after being called to do so by the local people.
When called, they come out to lie on the banks and wait until they are offered chicken before they go back into the pond to consume their booty.
200 crocodiles
The Daily Graphic gathered from the Menji Traditional Council that more than 200 crocodiles, called "Bamba" in the Banda language, live in the pond.
One of the two crocodile statues at the entrance of the palace
The crocodiles, a gift from nature to the deprived community, hold a huge potential to change the fortunes of the area if developed.
Currently, no fee is charged to visit the pond as visitors give whatever they are willing to offer at the site.
It is taboo to kill or consume a crocodile in the community because the chiefs and people in the area believe the crocodiles have spiritual significance to the community.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the traditional council has erected two crocodile statues at the entrance of the palace to signify their adoption of the reptiles as an emblem, which signifies their significance to the community.
History
Narrating the history behind the pond to the Daily Graphic, the Akyeamehene of the Menji Traditional Area, Nana Yusif Gausu, explained that during Ghana's second republic, residents of the town requested a pond to provide them with water for domestic and agricultural purposes.
"When the pond was dug, we later found that a crocodile had come to live in it," he said, adding that "even though someone shot and killed that crocodile when it was resting by the roadside, more crocodiles emerged from nowhere to fill the pond".
Nana Gausu said the town had since then adopted crocodiles as its totem and put in place measures to protect them from harm.
He explained that the community had planted trees along the banks, while fishing, washing and bathing among other human activities had been banned in the pond.
Nana Gausu explained that because the place was not developed, no fee had been fixed for people who visit the pond.
However, he said visitors who visited the site gave whatever they could afford after being led to the site.
Nana Gausu confirmed that there were more than 200 crocodiles, consisting of young and old in the pond.
Assembly visit
He said early this year, the Tain District Assembly led by the District Chief Executive, Dr Lucy Acheampong, visited the site to survey and take measurements of the area.
He said the assembly had assured the community of developing the site to boost tourism and improve their local economy.
A former Assemblymember of the Bandaline Electoral Area, Oshman Tahiru, appealed to non-governmental organisations and other investors to support the assembly in developing the site.
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He explained that the development of the facility could attract more tourists to boost the economic activities of the deprived community.
Tourist
A tourist, Eric Owusu, who was disappointed about the poor state of the facility, called on the Ghana Tourism Authority and the assembly to develop the site.
He said the current state of the site made it extremely difficult for tourists, including students who visited to conduct research and have fun because the entire area was weedy.
Mr Owusu said tourists were afraid they could be attacked by reptiles such as snakes and scorpions as well as bees.
Writer's email: biiya.ali@graphic.com.gh
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