In the late colonial period, the belly skins of Nile crocodiles from east, central and
southern Africa were exploited for their commercial value in the manufacture of
handbags, shoes and other luxury items. This article presents a historical analysis of
crocodile hunting in the Okavango swamps in north-west Botswana. It considers evolving
attempts at government regulation and control within the wider global context of crocodile
hunting and trade in crocodile skins. It also examines the role played by white hunters in
collaboration with the ‘River San/Bushmen’. The study draws on multidisciplinary sources
including the Botswana National Archives and Records Services (BNARS), grey literature
and oral accounts captured through community-based ethnographic research, focus group
discussions and interviews with key informants. The article argues that individual
adventurers and hunters, who in the 1940s and 1950s sought to profit financially from the
sale of crocodile skins and wildlife photography, benefited from the use of ethnic San’s
extensive knowledge of the dense Delta swamps and their skill at finding crocodile nests.
Important San intermediaries such as Kwere Sereri, the renowned guide and tracker, were
remembered by white hunters and local communities for their hunting prowess and
‘genius’ in the field.

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