HERNANDO TODAY (Florida) 03 June 06 Crazy about alligators (Tony Holt)
Brooksville: Princess did not look hungry.
People were watching and “Gator Ron” Gard was determined to make his alligator eat. He reached into the water and grabbed the animal’s tail. Princess made a jerking movement and broke away from her owner’s grasp.
“C’mere, baby,” Gard said in between kissing noises. “There you go. ... She’s a big baby.”
She swam across the bottom of a kiddy pool while Gard induced her to eat by dipping a pair of tongs just under the water’s surface, dangling a chicken neck just inches in front of her snout.
Alligators have been depicted as vicious killers in recent weeks. Three Florida women recently were fatally attacked by gators, but Gard said he is more concerned about the safety of the reptiles now that they have been portrayed in the media as dangerous predators.
“These three women ... I feel for their families, but they were at fault,” he said. “Now people are going to be on a witch hunt, all because three women made three drastic mistakes. We’re going to have people killing alligators.”
Gard and his wife, Lynn, own and manage a small collection of exotic animals on their Deerhaven Estates property. Their collection includes two alligators, several dogs and cats, a small pack of llamas, dozens of chickens and a cougar named Charlie.
After Gard prodded the 200-pound reptile for a few more minutes, Princess finally chomped into the raw piece of chicken, clutching it with her teeth. Her eyes rose above the surface, peering at the people she did not recognize. Gard said she was shy about chewing her food in front of an audience.
“She’s not used to people,” he remarked.
Alligators’ wariness around people is a main reason why attacks are so rare, but in the light of recent events, people have grown more terrified of gators. When people get scared of a particular species, Gard said, the results are usually bad for the animal.
He is especially offended by the decision to trap, kill and slice open the alligators that attacked the three women.
“What are you going to gain by doing something like that?” Gard asked. “Why start killing several gators and cutting them open? What have you proven? If someone else goes out swimming in the same murky water again, she’ll get attacked by another gator.”
Gard boldly said the women who were attacked “brought it upon themselves.”
Anyone who sits on a dock and splashes the water with her feet is asking for trouble, he said. The same goes for anyone snorkeling in a murky lake or swimming while intoxicated in gator-infested waters.
“Unfortunately, people are going to have to live with alligators,” Gard warned.
Gard is a licensed exhibitor of animals. He is legally permitted to buy, sell and trade them. He has been retired for four years and does not receive subsidies. He mostly depends on his monthly Social Security check to purchase the thousands of pounds of meat required to feed his animals.
On occasion, he and his wife will receive a free gift. The two-foot pool that Princess uses was donated by a local business. But most of the time, they have to make do with the money they earn themselves.
Gard is particularly attached to his most dangerous animals.
He removed a 1-year-old gator from a small pool of water and held it while it tried to squirm out of its grasp. The alligator, named Max, weighed only five pounds, but it had sharp teeth and was exceptionally quick as it whipped its head and tail around, trying to break free.
The animal eventually stopped squirming and remained still. Gard planted his lips just below its neck.
“We get them while they’re hatchlings,” he said while stroking Max’s stomach. “We use them for educational purposes.”
Gard transports his cougar and alligators to various exhibitions, often showing them off to children. He has photographs of himself cuddling up to Charlie while the cat affectionately places his massive paws on his owner’s head.
Gard pointed to a sign on the door of his house that read, “Cougar inside,” and laughed.
“It’s a pretty good deterrent,” he joked. “It’s a lot better than being protected by Smith and Wesson.”
Crazy about alligators