Mr. Yao & The Crocodiles

On the outskirts of Bangkok, Mr. Yao, a sprightly old man in his late 70s, delights audiences by pulling a crocodile out of the water by its tail. Not the kind of activity that Dirk and Sandy would suggest for a life extension program, perhaps, but for Mr. Yao it's a piece of cake. Reputed to be the oldest crocodile trainer alive, Yao works at the Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm, home to some 30,000 of the critters that--not all that long ago--were threatened with extinction. In Mr. Yao & the Crocodiles, the cameras visit the farm--which is also a large zoological garden that is home to tigers, boa constrictors, monkeys, and many other animals--on Children's Day. In one extraordinary sequence, children lie down in a row evenly spaced apart while an elephant walks over them, giving each giggling kid the hoover treatment with its trunk. It's a pretty amazing sight. As an encore, the elephant does an impressive disco bit (and, believe me, it's a strange sensation watching an elephant that can dance better than you can). But the lion's share of the program is devoted to the crocodiles, their mating, feeding (they love chicken heads), and other rituals. The video concludes with Mr. Yao and his helper's incredible show. One of the helpers even sticks his head inside a croc's open mouth. An unusual program, Mr. Yao & the Crocodiles is a lot of fun to watch. Highly recommended. [Note: the title on the box reads: Southeast Asia: Mr. Yao & the Crocodiles.] (Available from: Chip Taylor Communications, 15 Spolett Dr., Derry, NH 03038; (800) 876-CHIP.)