Ok, I've read KIller Gators and Crocs by Michael Garlock. It is a little better than my initial impressions would have led me to believe. It is an odd book that doesn't seem to really know what it is within itself. It is essentially a compilation of various press accounts interspersed with natural history infomation on crocodilians. I will add that some of his information is simply incorrect. He also has a very annoying habit of placing his not well thought out philosophical leanings into the text.
A big problem I had was how he continually referred to the 'illegal' crocodilian trade without mentioning the vast majority of the trade is through legal means in my viewan unnecessary demonization.
He seems to also think crocodilians are not capable of long lives and that a crocodilians lifespan is 30-40 years and shorter than that in the wild. He ignores significant evidence that they are capable of living at least twice that amount quite easily.
He is clearly against the selling of crocodilians which is fine as he is entitled to his view. But his comments about such keepers(and you and I by proxy) basically questions our sanity/ego. He apparently is unaware that a large number of individuals in the private sector contribute a great deal to crocodile conservation either through education or ranching. He even goes as far to talk about websites in the UK who have crocodilian care guides as falsely implying dwarf and spectacled caiman are better choices than American alligators. And aiming at folks like myself he says
' Under the guise of providing information, these misguided entrpreneurs subtly promote the growing(illegal) pet trade in alligators, caiman, and other crocodilians. y increasing the demand, irresponsible(read those that sell:CD) dealers under the guise of free enterprise also aid, abet, and encourage poaching and smuggling of endangered wildlife.'
Now I don't know if he has clue one about the crocodilian trade for your average croc keeper but it doesn't sound anything like what he just stated. The vast majority of crocs sold in the US trade are American alligators and dwarf caiman. The gators come out of ranches, the dwarf caiman are imported. Very few dealers will allow illegal animals to cross state lines and generally I have found croc keepers among the best in this regard. He seems very out of touch with reality. And heaven forbid an individual actually try to find a book/website on the animal he has purchased. I guess the crocodilian trade was perishing before I, Ralf, and Adam published our respective captive care books. According to this fellow all the dealers should send us royalties for driving the trade that apparently needed a boost. What BS!
Here is more of his bogus idea of crocodilians:
' The reasons why an individual would want an alligator, caiman, or other crocodilian as a 'pet' are complex and myriad. Clearly they cannot be trained. At best they become used to the presence of humans, which is often mistaken for acceptance or affection. / No doubt there is a certain mystique with owning a crocodilian. Perhaps the exotic pets fill a certain egotistical need in their owners'
So owning a croc is like owning a Hummer 1! He completely neglects the fact that to be really successful at this from a private standpoint in my experience is to be quite humble and learn. To say they cannot be trained is absurd. We have trained our to sound for goodness sakes. They are not dogs, they are not affectionate. They prefer to be left alone.
He apparently has no love for pet store owners either of which it is said: 'Many pet store owners and their customers are unscrupulous people who do not hesitate to violate local laws in order to make a profit,'
And my favorite line of all:
'The reasons why people buy these exotic pets and then foist them on an unsuspecting public are complicated and best suited for psychological studies.'
There is more but Chap 5 is bird cage fodder.
Folks in europe if you have a croc here is you:
'Crocs and gators can't survive Europes cold winters, except in zoos and the homes of people who have bought them as illegal pets'
Your animals are illegal. All of them. The rest of the book breaks the animals down by region or species and gives some natural history, some interesting blurbs of info, and the attack stories.
All in all while interesting to any crocophile I find the authors views far removed from mine both in spirit and reality. If your reading this on a crocodilian forum you probably won't see I to eye with him either.
Website
-----
CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'
