7am Part 1: The true cost of crocodile skin
Jan 8, 2026
Katherine Wilson, an award-winning journalist, investigates the crocodile farming industry in the Northern Territory. She reveals shocking conditions where animals are kept in cramped environments, and details drawn-out slaughter practices based on whistleblower accounts. The discussion includes the exploitation of Indigenous workers and the dubious conservation claims made by the industry, challenging the glamorous image of crocodile skin fashion. Katherine also touches on the emerging pushback from the fashion industry against exotic skins.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
High Fashion’s Hidden Source
- Pharrell Williams' Millionaire Speedy bag was made from the soft skins of three or four young crocodiles.
- Katherine Wilson observed the bag's splash at Paris Fashion Week and traced its material back to Darwin farms.
Farms Framed As Factories
- Darwin's crocodile facilities function more like manufacturing plants than pastoral farms, warehousing roughly 130,000 crocs.
- The industry markets farming as conservation while hatchlings are raised for profit and never returned to the wild.
Conservation Claims Under Question
- The industry's conservation narrative rests largely on research and messaging produced by industry and allied officials.
- This raises conflicts of interest and questions the claimed link between commerce and wild crocodile protection.