BEAUMONT JOURNAL (Texas) 05 July 06 Grapplin' gators is no jurassic lark - Staff of amphibian attraction stresses safety around reptiles (Gene Hughes)
Don't try this at home - or anywhere else for that matter.
That's the message that the staff at Gator Country wants to impress upon the residents of Southeast Texas. While an alligator might possess what seems to be an inviting smile, it also moves fast, bites down hard, and doesn't let go.
While alligators are naturally shy of human beings, there have been a number of attacks - three Florida fatalities within six days in May - in recent months. Gary Saurage, co-owner of Gator Country and an experienced alligator hunter, knows the dangers first-hand.
"I've studied everything I could get on these attacks, and the one that really sticks out in my mind is the girl who was snorkeling (23-yearold Annemarie Campbell, who was killed while recreating in Lake George in the Ocala National Forest).We know that that was a fullblown alligator attack. On that attack, it wasn't even that big of an alligator. A nine-and-a-halffoot alligator has a hard time eating a person."
In Alligator Attacks on Humans in the United States, a report from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services covering the years 1948 t0 2004, Florida is first among alligator attacks, with 334 (14 fatalities) from an estimated alligator population of 1.5 million. Although third in gator population with between 300,000400,000 (Louisiana has approximatley 1.5 million), Texas ranks second in documented attacks with 15 and no fatalities.
With the summer heating up, it's time for alligator females to begin nesting. While it's a good idea to avoid the animals altogether, Saurage said the alligator mating season generally lasts from April to June, when the males are more aggressive. During the nesting season, from June to August, the females become nastier.
This is the time of year you really need to be watching what you're doing," he said. "That mother alligator's not trying to eat you, make no mistake. She's just trying to protect that nest, and that means she's gonna try to bite you. And I can tell you, an eight-foot gator, with a bite of 2,500 pounds per square inch, it's gonna break whatever it does bite. And what happens when they bite? They roll. Whatever they get is probably comin' off.
Half the alligator population is in a bad mood six months out of the year, and that's a lot of alligators in Southeast Texas. According to Amos Cooper with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Port Arthur, there are approximately 250,000 of the reptiles in Jefferson, Orange and Chambers counties. But even though it's nesting season, don't expect an explosion in the gator population. Cooper said that high temperatures and dry conditions will keep numbers down, and that only 20 percent of those born will make it to adulthood.
But that doesn't mean residents don't have to be careful. Hot and dry conditions can force the amphibians to go looking for water, sometimes into human territory. There have been recent close encounters - one in Pennslyvania and another in South Carolina, where a 6-footer actually came to a residence's front door - between humans and gators. Even an experienced handler like Saurage has to keep an the alert when around the reptiles.
"I know the strike zones and what they're capable of doing," he said."When I'm looking at that alligator and I'm gonna hand feed him, I'm looking for that foot placement. I want to know where those feet are. Even though their tail will propel them, those front feet have to be able to move. If they're placed back, that alligator's not aggressive, and you're all right. The first move they have to make is to bring those front legs forward. It's quick, but that's the first move. If an alligator's legs are out front, it's ready to move.
Alligators' teeth, which are hollow, are made for grabbing, holding and crushing, whereas a crocodile's teeth are made for tearing.
"On land, alligators can move at 30 miles per hour for short distances. The reason is that an alligator will only strike when they're bloated up. That's where their energy comes from. After they exhale that, they're done."
Saurage said the the most dangerous thing comes when people start feeding alligators.
In an Oct. 5, 2005 release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 25-year-old Danielle Rivera was trying to feed a 43-inch alligator when it jumped up and bit her instead of the food she was offering it. She said she didn't realize it could propel itself out of the water.
In Texas, it is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $25 to $500, for any person who intentionally feeds a free-ranging alligator.
"The reason being, that alligator's brain is about that big,"he said, displaying a pinkie nail."What happens is, when you're feeding that alligator, he associates you with food.You're a food source. Is that chicken in your hand the food, or are you the food? He doesn't know, and he doesn't really care."
"It's carelessness. It's people not constantly watching, because the strike is that fast," he said, snapping his fingers. "Once they get you and start spinning, you got a serious problem. If I had to tell somebody that was backed up by an alligator, I'd say if that alligator's really in attack mode, the best thing to do is back up, looking at that alligator. I don't think you can outrun one. I don't think I can. I've seen them go full blast."
He went on to comment on Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin, who raised an international furor by walking his month-old son near a large croc he was feeding during one of his shows.
"There's nothing smart about that," Saurage said. "That's a no-no. That should not happen. That's a 16foot croc that can move quicker than he can. If that croc had gotten hold of that kid, there would have been nothing he (Irwin) could have done about it. I know he knows those things like I know these alligators, but if you think I'd put a kid at risk... that was absolutely stupid."
Saurage compared alligator attacks to shark attacks in that people and the animals are in close quarters on a constant basis.
"The number of people who go to the beach everyday they're around those sharks," he siad. "And attacks don't happen very often. It's the same thing in the alligator world.What makes them attack a human? Is it true hunger? Is it a territorial thing? To be honest with you, I haven't found any writings that csn honestly explain why that alligator did that. I just know it's a good thing it doesn't happen more often because alligators are everywhere along the Gulf Coast..
"Everybody needs to know that if there's a drainage ditch that's coming off a bayou; if there's any possible way that an alligator could be there, they're there.You might not see them, but they're there." Gator Top 10 According to data compiled in Florida, the following are the top activities undertaken by humans who were attacked by alligators.
1. Attempting to capture/pick up alligator
2. Swimming
3. Fishing
4. Retrieving golf balls
5. Wading/walking in water
6. Snorkeling
7. Pulling weeds/working along water's edge
8. Standing/sitting by water's edge
9. Working on/falling out of boat
10. Skiing/canoing
Grapplin' gators is no jurassic lark