Crocodiles are renowned for tearing their prey to pieces before swallowing hunks of meat raw.
But in the baking sun at Nyanyana crocodile farm on the shores of Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba, the beasts nibble lazily at bowls of vegetarian pellets.
Besides being cheaper than meat, the diet of protein concentrate, minerals, vitamins, maize meal and water is said to enhance crocodile skin destined to become handbags or shoes on the catwalks of New York, Paris, London or Milan.
"We no longer feed them meat," said Oliver Kamundimu, financial director at Padenga Holdings.
Initially, the pellets contained 50% meat, but Kamundimu said that has been phased out to a vegetarian diet.
"It improves the quality and the crocs are getting all the nutrients they want," he said.