Adored like a god or feared like a demon since early antiquity, the crocodile has always occupied a special place in the imagination of man. And a very special place in the imagination of one man in particular, Luc Fougeirol, who together with his brother Eric runs La Ferme aux Crocodiles at Pierrelatte, just outside of Montelimar in the Drome department of southern France. Close cousins of the dinosaurs, these big predators first appeared over 200 million years ago and have survived all the catastrophes which annihilated the reptiles of the second era. For the last 70 million years they practically haven’t changed, as beneath their primitive appearance they are extremely efficient animals. Carrying out an important ecological role as super-predators in humid environments, they control the numbers of many animal populations which, without them, would proliferate excessively. Their only weakness has been to possess a skin of great value. For this reason they were hunted so excessively that they were brought to the verge of extinction in many regions of the world. Thanks to breeding and a number of protective measures taken by the international community during the 1970s most of the different species of crocodiles still exist today. But as Luc Fougeirol is quick to tell you, there is not the slightest room for complacency, his crocodile farm now at the forefront of a worldwide drive to protect and promote the interests of these animals which, love them or loathe them, are unlikely to leave you feeling indifferent.

Spend a couple of hours in the company of this 41 year old Frenchman, who speaks with all the passion of a convert to the cause, and you are likely to emerge with everything you need to know about crocodiles but were afraid to ask. Did you know, for example, that their nostrils are equipped with a muscle that allows them to be closed under water? No, you did not. Did you know that their eyes have changeable pupils with a membrane to protect them under water? That their ears are in the form of slits situated behind the eyes. That although crocodiles are usually represented as green, they are not - more of grayish-brown, really. That crocodiles are the only reptiles which utter a range of sounds. That the reason they spend a not inconsiderable part of their time with their mouths wide open is not in order to facilitate the entry of some hapless victim but to regulate their body temperature. That they eat 10% of their body weight when they are young - but just 3% when fully grown. And that they mate, hunt and hide in the water, where they can spend several hours without breathing.

Luc is in charge of the crocodiles and plants, Eric looks after more mundane matters relating to money and management. Considering that their farm has only been open to the public since the June of 1994, it has been something of an overnight success, now attracting close on one quarter of a million visitors per year, far exceeding their own more modest expectations. And as for Wednesdays and Sundays - feeding time for the crocs - well, its strictly elbow room only, as Eric launches salmon heads, rabbit heads and chicken carcasses into the basins housing some 330 crocodiles below, to the delight of the assembled crowds. As he does so you come to realize that these prehistoric animals can move at the speed of lightening when it is in their interests to do so. Of course it is hardly a handicap that the Fougeirols’ farm is situated almost exactly between Lyon and Marseilles, and just 10 minutes drive from the A7 autoroute, which happens to be the busiest stretch of motorway in the whole of Europe. Which in turn means that its one coach load after the next during the busy summer season, your motorway service station with a difference.

But it was not always such a cozy picture of entrepreneurial flair and success. Far from it. In fact when Luc first approached a number of banks with a view to providing the funds for his project he was not only shown the door pretty smartish, he was also given that look as if to say that a visit to the men in white coats might be more appropriate. And not just a thumbs down from one particular bank - but from 44 separate financial institutions. Enough to deter Luc from pursuing his dream? Hardly.

"I guess I was lucky", he relates rather modestly, "because in the end my father decided to put up £90,000 of his own money - which proved to be something of a turning point - for it was enough to convince one bank, the Credit Lyonnais, to back me. My father had always told me that I used to get on his nerves as a child with my pets, but in the end he accepted that doing this was the only way I could succeed. Plus the Mayor of Pierrelatte, himself a vet by training, could see that this was my passion in life, my dream, and something which could put our town on the map in terms of attracting tourism. You could say that it was a long birth - but not a particularly painful one."

Fougeirol’s love affair with the crocodile can be traced directly back to his formative years in a small village in the south of Morocco, where he was introduced by his uncle to reptiles such as snakes and lizards, and taught to overcome his initial reaction of fear. Before long he was hooked. In fact almost the first thing he did upon his return to France at the age of 14 was to head to a pet shop in Marseille and buy a Venezuelan Cayman for the princely sum of 50 francs.

"My mother wasn’t all that happy about the Cayman", Luc admits, "but she objected even more to my vipers, which she encouraged me to keep at school. I was happy to do this, because like that more people could share in the sheer joy of these animals. I guess, if I am honest with myself, when I was that age I very much enjoyed the fact that I was ‘different’ from the rest. Perhaps I still do."

Luc was so busy tending to his collection of reptiles that it soon became quite clear that academic success was unlikely to come his way. So when he flunked his bac at the age of 18 hardly anyone was surprised, least of all young Luc.

"One of the greatest moments of my life was when I was officially recognized as being competent to look after crocodiles, and awarded a certificate by the Ministry of the Environment, which in effect allowed me to import and export. That was just 7 years ago - and it was the first exam I had ever passed in my life."

Armed with a duplicate of his diploma, Luc headed off to a crocodile farm in Pretoria, South Africa, where he promptly purchased a number of baby crocs - which were flown over to France in the specially heated hold of a plane, all of them surviving the 27 hour journey. For three years they grew steadily in a nursery until the moment Luc had been waiting for, releasing the crocs - by then almost 2 meters long - into his own new centre, La Ferme aux Crocodiles. It was, and still is, the only crocodile farm not just in France but the whole of Europe too. Nine television crews were there to witness the event - the BBC and NBC included - with 50 journalists and photographers waiting eagerly in the background. One reporter whispered to the proud owner that if there were a lot of journalists, then there would in due course be lots of visitors too, a prediction which turned out to be entirely accurate.

"People always ask about accidents", he continues. "Well, touch wood, there haven’t been any. The most that has happened has been that we have had to bash one or two of them with a spade - because I or a member of staff go down into the basins every day to clean up. But never near the water - because they always attack from the water towards land. When they are on dry land they usually wouldn’t dare to attack. At least at the size they are now. But they are continuing to grow all the time, and our centre is going to have to grow with them. One section is already so crowded that we have nicknamed it Tahiti beach!"

Luc is far too self-effacing to classify himself as the Crocodile Dundee of France, or even as Monsieur Dundee. But Paul Hogan does remain his hero - and it is his dream to invite him over one day - perhaps having him open the new section once the planned extension has been completed.

"I don’t really consider this work" Luc concludes, with a mischievous smile on his face. "Its just that to this day I get enormous pleasure from watching and being close to these animals. The more you know - the more you want to know. They are just fascinating animals, perfectly adapted to marsh and swamp lands. To think that they emerge from an egg - they can go from 25 centimeters to 6 meters long. That they can end up weighing a ton and live for over a century. That’s impressive. People often inquire if I think its a good existence to be a crocodile. To which I say, not half. At least here at Pierrelatte. Just think about it. They have water at 30 degrees. They are admired all day long. And for every male there are 10 females. Now that’s not a bad life if you ask me!"