While sometimes alligators can be a nuisance down here, they're actually really great for Florida's ecosystem. When they build their nests by digging what are called gator holes, a whole new habitat is created for a variety of wildlife. They also often will eat already-dead animals, helping keep the waters they often live in cleaner. Many people do not realize that alligators are highly intelligent and very social animals with very complex courting and mating habits. Baby alligators will stay with their mothers up to two years, and alligators living in the wild can have lifespans of up to 35 years.
Alligators are hunted for their for their meat, their skin, and worst of all, for the pure sport of it. They are the only animals that hunters in Florida stand to gain any profit from; processors are often waiting at boat docks for hunters to return from the swamps and canals with their kill. Hunters often use harpoons and crossbows to attach restraining lines to alligators, and when they're finally too exhausted to fight being pulled close to the boat, the hunters reel them in, lower their head under the water, and shoot them with bangsticks. There are many regulations surrounding alligator hunting in Florida, all of which are commonly broken (especially the rule that one hunter can kill only two alligators per hunting season). One regulation is that the alligator must be dead before the hunter is dragged into the boat which is commonly broken because sometimes the bangsticks don't sever the spinal cord and only knock the alligator unconscious.
There are many restaurants across the state of Florida in a region called Alligator Alley that offer fried gator bites on their menu. These are much like boneless chicken wings, just made with gator meat. You can also find gator tenders, fried gator tail, among other dishes that are considered specialties. By the way, Alligator Alley spans from Naples on Florida's West coast (which is very close to where my husband and I will be moving to in the next couple of months) to Weston on the East coast, running on a section of I-75/SR84. Alligator Alley got its name literally because of the surplus of alligators living in the waters on either side of the road (alligators which often cross the road very, very slowly like cows do). Many restaurants along this road serve alligator meat.
In addition to food, alligators are also killed for their skin which is used most commonly for shoes and purses. While alligator shoes and purses can certainly be attractive, there is such a thing as high-quality faux alligator accessories. No animal deserves to die for the sake of fashion; in the grand scheme of the world, fashion, while fun and interesting and obviously profitable, isn't all that important and neither should be killing animals to make a "great pair of shoes."
Another terrible alligator attraction in Florida is gator wrestling. Alligators are dragged by their tails into a ring where the wrestlers provoke them by beating them on the head and nose with sticks until they are angry enough to open their mouths and show their sharp teeth to crowds. Wrestlers also jump onto the alligators' backs, force their mouths closed, and attempt to flip them over, actions which can cause permanent brain injury. Thankfully, gator wrestling is becoming less and less common, although it is certainly still a problem.
While I realize that alligators can obviously be very, very dangerous animals to be in the presence of, it should also be known that they are rather timid animals that are actually afraid of humans. Because it is illegal in the state of Florida to feed alligators, they aren't comfortable with coming close to humans and will often walk or swim away if one approaches them. They become defensive and violent when they feel like their nests or territory are threatened, but otherwise are relatively mellow animals that if large, prefer to live alone and if small, enjoy living in groups.
If you care about letting the alligators live in peace the way I do, you can write to two of the known gator meat distributors requesting that they stop their practices.
Beaver Street Fisheries
PO Box 41430
Jacksonville, FL 32203
Performance Foodservice - Empire
3505 NW 125th Street
Miami, FL 33167
There are other ways to get involved - just go to PETA to find out how. Help protect one of Florida's most impressive animals (and one of the world's oldest animals).
