TOLDEO BLADE (Ohio) 28 January 07 Florida zoo proves that alligators aren’t so awful (Mary Alice Powell)
St. Augustine, Fla.: Alligators have never been a favorite of mine, and until recently not of the slightest interest. As babies they are not furry or cute. As adults they are downright ugly, and they have anything but loving, friendly personalities.
But after a visit to the Alligator Farm Zoological Park here, I have decided these reptiles deserve a second look. I can’t tell you how many times in my several visits to this city I have driven by the large white Spanish- style building on Highway AIA with the imposing sign, “Alligator Farm.”
My lack of interest was reversed when Seattle friends called to say they were coming for a visit. We want to be sure to visit the alligator place, they said.
As the cordial, cooperative host, what else could I do but set aside an afternoon to see the alligators? I couldn’t believe that I was spending $19.95 to see them when I turn off the TV the second the creepy, scary creatures appear. Now I can’t believe I had missed one of Florida’s oldest and best exhibits until I was forced into going, and I would like to return for the lagoon show.
The lagoon event is one of several live shows at the seven-acre park. All of the shows featuring birds and reptiles on stage are conducted by zoo keepers in an amphitheater, except the morning and afternoon performances in the lagoon, when a dozen of the 44 alligators show off their intelligence. They know their names and when they are called, and do such alligator things as open their big mouths and strut on their short legs. Zoo director John Brueggen explains it’s part of the goal to educate and entertain the public about crocodilians . Crocodilians refer to alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gharial. The first St. Augustine alligator display was opened in 1893 at the end of the trolley car line and featured all locally caught gators. The zoo is accredited by the American Association of American Zoological Parks and Aquariums. It also is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is visited by 200,000 people each year. The zoo was recently featured on the TV special Myth Busters. According to Mr. Brueggen, it is a myth that you should run in a zigzag pattern from an alligator.
“They don’t chase you. They are ambush predators,” he advised.
Well-maintained walkways with signs take visitors past every kind of alligator in the world. They are in all sizes with distinct differences in color and head shapes. Mr. Brueggen emphasizes that it is the only zoo in the world that displays all 23 living species from the Americas, Australia, Africa, and Asia.
The director, who holds a degree in zoology from the University of Florida, is particularly proud of the zoo’s success in breeding the Chinese alligator. He claims that there are fewer than 100 of the rare alligators in China. In May he will travel to China with 15 of the Florida-bred reptiles, and they will be placed in quarantine facilities near Shanghai.
After the quarantine period, Mr. Brueggen said, the alligators will be equipped with radio transmitters and monitored for a year. Because of a diet of quail and specially formulated nutritious pellets, the alligators are living longer than they would in the wild; several are more than 80 years old.
Maximo is definitely the king of the zoo. The 34-year-old crocodile was brought to St. Augustine from Cairns, Australia.
The 1,250-pound reptile that is 15 feet, 3 inches long entertains visitors on two fronts and at each he has a large audience. He is watched in an underwater viewing exhibit and at feeding time.
Every Wednesday and Saturday at 3 p.m., Maximo slithers out of the tank into an open pond, his jaws open, and he jumps high as a guinea pig is lowered on a stick and the audience applauds. Maximo’s appetite has cost him the companionship of his girlfriend, Sidney. After he ate his and her food too, Sidney, only 8 feet long and 200 pounds, was removed to another pen when she began losing weight. She is gaining weight now, and there is talk around the zoo that Sidney is pregnant.
Alligators share the zoo with other wildlife. Monkeys, parrots, and African vultures are in spacious habitats and in March, April, and May wading birds come to visit the alligators. The hundreds of herons and egret that migrate to the zoo nest in the trees above the alligator cages. They know they will be safe there from predators with the big reptiles on guard until their eggs hatch.
The zoo is located at 999 Anastasia Blvd, which is on Highway AIA between St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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