Alligator farm.....(a few pics)

Me and Katie went to the Insta-gator Ranch and Hatchery today for a little tour. Pretty interesting stuff. I just thought I would share some pictures and a link in case anyone is ever down this way and interested in going to visit:

http://www.insta-gatorranch.com/

http://danielhillreptiles.com/Gatorfarm/gator2.JPG

http://danielhillreptiles.com/Gatorfarm/gator1.JPG

http://danielhillreptiles.com/Gatorfarm/gator3.JPG

http://danielhillreptiles.com/Gatorfarm/gator4.JPG

http://danielhillreptiles.com/Gatorfarm/gator5.JPG

The fourth one down looks like he his smiling...Happy happy gator!

aaaaaw, yes! my gator pics! i knew you'd come through Daniel, LOL. cool stuff.

Gators are definitely stellar reptiles...cute little guys/girls. The Alligator Sauce Piquant recipe makes me sad. :(

Well it says it takes you from hatchling to handbag so you know how some are ending up.

Great pics, there are the coolest looking creatures.
Thanks for sharing :)

Well you can always think of it this way. The more that are farmed properly, the less that hopefully would be taken from the wild (whether that is legal or not).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JBallPython

The Alligator Sauce Piquant recipe makes me sad. :(

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It would not make you that sad if you understood the way that these type of ranchs operate and the reasons that they are needed.

Ranching gators is part of a conservation effort to protect alligators due to the fact that in the past alligators were hunted excessively in Louisiana. Ranches gather alligator eggs from nests in the wild where they have only a 40-50% hatch rate (10-20% if a hurricane hits the area) and hatch the eggs in incubators (90% hatch rate). Only 6 out of 100 baby alligators will make it to adulthood in the wild. With farming, the babies are only raised to approx. 4 ft. in length then released so they stand a greater chance of survival. Each one of the farms is monitored by the Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries to make sure that everything is properly cared for.Once they reach 4 ft. in size, 14% of each farms 4 ft'ers are released back into the wild to help rejuvinate wild populations that are being damaged by hurricanes and poaching. The other farmed gators are sold into the meat, skin, jewelery, and other industries. Unlike other farmed animals(or poached alligators), the majority of alligator parts are completely utilized so nothing is wasted(even the left over egg fluids are being used and researched to benefit human health). The selling of these farmed animals helps to fund ranches which inturn keeps the alligator conservation efforts going. So basically, without these ranches....alligators would probably be an endangered species due to the illegal activities of poachers and natural disasters.

Like I said before, this stuff is very interesting. The way that these alligators are treated is far better than any cattle or chicken farm that I have seen. It actually makes me proud that Louisiana is so aware of the situation and is doing stuff to make sure alligators are protected in the wild.

I will see if I can find the link through the state that explains all if this....it is a great read and is very very interesting :D

Here is the link to the LA State council that oversees and regulates all the stuff. Alot of info on this site, if anyone is interested in learning :D

http://www.alligatorfur.com