Also on the expedition was Andre Penicaut who also wrote about the many alligators including a story about one of their dogs which was eaten by a gator somewhere near the west boundary of our St Bernard Parish. With the addition in 1986 of alligator farms Louisiana has insured a future of economic value for the state estimated to be around 80 to 90 million dollars annually. Louisiana: Call the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at 1-800-442-2511. A mature alligator has 80 teeth at a time but can go through as many as 3,000 in its lifetime. This is truly a unique opportunity to see the bayous and swamps of southeast Louisiana while having all the comforts of home if you chose to stay in the spacious cabins. The author even wrote about the famous artist and author James J. Audubon who killed a gator in the Three Rivers area that measured 17 feet. In turn these increased wetlands provide habitat for birds, fish, fur bearing animals and other wildlife. Million: The number of alligators that are thought to live in Louisiana today is one million. And in 1987, the American alligator became Florida's official state reptile. Today hunters harvest wild alligators in September and take 34,000-37,000 annually and they are worth over 13 million dollars for their meat and their skins. © The largest alligator ever recorded was measured at 19 feet, 2 inches and weighed 2,000 pounds! Using their meat as food, their skins for shoes, boots and saddles and their oil for engines, they have always been a part of the Louisiana economy. Alligator numbers have exploded in the last 25 years, but for some reason attacks on humans are extremely rare in this state. Florida and Louisiana rank 1st and 2nd for the size of their alligator populations.The Sunshine State is home to more than one million alligators. Swamp People is one of the many popular reality television shows over the History Channel. Many of the townsfolk sought refuge in the railroad depot, which collapsed and killed 25 people. The American alligator can grow up to 11.2 feet (3.4 meters) long and weight nearly half a ton (1,000 lbs. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) was designated the state reptile of Louisiana in 1983. Alligators were put on the endangered species list in 1973 and were not removed until 1987. The State of Louisiana administers an alligator program in which ranchers collect over 350,000 alligator eggs, trappers harvest over 28,000 wild alligators and farmers harvest over 250,000 farm raised alligators annually. Our experienced guides will explain how Cajuns harvested alligator eggs & alligators. Along the way, we may see alligators 3 to 14 ft long. The largest ever recorded was found in Louisiana and measured more than 19 feet. Guided duck hunts are available during duck season in … Ralph & Kacoo's Louisiana's #1 Cajun Seafood Restaurant! The two extant species are the American alligator and the Chinese alligator. Some of these were caught in the wild, and some were released to the wild from commercial farms. In fact about 81 per cent of Louisiana’s coastal alligator habitats are privately owned. He wrote about them in his diary while exploring the Bayou Manchac. LDWF biologists have marked many alligators for research purposes. Serving Crawfish, Gumbo, Alligator, Crab, Shrimp, Oysters and many other Cajun delicacies since 1969. Naturally, they bred with the alligators in the area, which resulted in the creation of a hybrid creature. Louisiana is diverse and beautiful. Another benefit of this system is that landowners are getting benefits to conserve the wetlands as well as enhancing them in order to increase the alligator population. Alligators are found in fresh and brackish waterbodies throughout the southeatern United States, from central Texas eastward to North Carolina. During the Civil War alligator skins were in high demand as they were used to make boots and saddles for the confederate soldiers. Although seven states (Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina) have some alligator population, Louisiana has the largest population of alligators in the country. Today hunters harvest wild alligators in September and take 34,000-37,000 annually and they are worth over 13 million dollars for their meat and their skins. We are a great example through knowledgeable applications and good management, the state of Louisiana’s alligator population is not only stable but is also creating the opportunity for sustainable use of her most valuable renewable natural resource. It is about 603 kilometers (375 miles) long and contains more than 100 different species of … I guess you might say in Louisiana if we see it, we eat it! Grace Eberhart, 70, female: October 3, 1993: She was killed by one or more alligators at Lake Serenity, Sumter County, Florida. During the 2008 tag year (September 2008 through August 2009) a total of 286,645 farm alligators were harvested, averaging 26.38 cm belly width (4.30 feet in length) (Figure 4). These captivating creatures have roamed the earth for nearly 200 million years and there are nearly 2 million wild alligators in Louisiana. or 454 kilograms), according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. The discovery of sulphur in 1869 and oil in 1901, coupled with the rise of forestry sent the state on a new wave of economic growth. The alligator farmers also harvest 250,000 to 350,000 of their own raised stock which is valued at over 81 million dollars annually. While alligators primarily live in the southeastern U.S., crocodiles are found in North, South, and Central America … It started broadcasting in 2010 and replicates the life of the alligator hunters of Louisiana. The city of New Orleans was founded in 1718, and just a few years later many African people were brought to the city as slaves. Hunters, for one, are only allowed by the local government to look for alligators partly to control the reptiles’ population. The state continued adding parishes each year as the population grew and could sustain the hunts. The increase in demand was such that their numbers of alligators in the wild diminished and the state had to act. These state programs allow private citizens to not only prosper from these resources but to also maintain and protect these natural resources. In the early 1960s, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries noticed a massive drop in the alligator population. Some of the above information was adapted from information from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In this time, many of the alligator hunters, following a tradition dating back about 300 years, earn most of their yearly income in a high risk vocation dependent on experience and the whims of weather within strict regulation by wildlife laws. Chinese alligators are smaller, growing to around 4.6 to 4.9 feet (1.4 to 1.5 m) long and usually weighing only around 50 lbs. Crocodiles have slender snouts, while alligators’ are broader. Alligators and crocodiles are in different families. are also spared. Alligators as a Renewable Natural Resource. Louisiana has a very long history with the alligators that inhabit her swamps and wetlands. Alligator definition is - either of two large carnivorous, thick-skinned, long-bodied, aquatic, crocodilian reptiles (Alligator mississippiensis of the southeastern U.S. and A. sinensis of China) that have a broad head with a slightly tapered, long, rounded, U-shaped snout and a special pocket in the upper jaw for reception of the enlarged lower fourth tooth; broadly : crocodilian. But, the primary fascination is always alligators. Chinese alligators are considered critically endangered; This video is of a baby alligator hunting for food. The two kinds of alligators living in the world currently are the Chinese and American alligators The benefits of this natural resource are an economic benefit and incentive for private landowners and alligator hunters who lease the these private lands. So after 200 years of harvesting, with the state help and the alligator farmer’s help everyone and every animal benefits in this conservation effort. The Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council has all the information (and more!) These alligators have one or more notches cut out of the tail scutes and two metal tags in the webbing between the toes (usually on the back feet). Altogether, close to 300 people in Louisiana died, with almost 60 in Frenier and Ruddock alone. In states like Louisiana and Florida, hunting for alligators is not just a recreation. There are a few visible differences between alligators and crocodiles. A mature alligator has 80 teeth at a time but can go through as many as 3,000 in its lifetime. This is great news of course as alligators were almost hunted to extinction in the earlier half of the 20th century. Adult female alligators average eight to nine feet in length but are capable of reaching lengths of 10 feet. Private Lands. Of the almost 4.5 million acres of alligator habitat available in Louisiana, coastal marshes account for approximately 3 million acres, followed by cypress-tupelo swamp (750,600 acres), dewatered w… Now, there are two million … An average of 33,500 wild alligators a year were taken from 2010 to 2016. Farmers were allowed to harvest alligator eggs from the wild on private lands which they could then incubate and hatch. Bringing kids is easy. Troy Landry was born on the 9th June 1961, in Pierre Part, Louisiana USA, and is an alligator hunter by profession, and now also a reality TV star. The benefits of this natural resource are an economic benefit and incentive for private landowners and alligator hunters who lease the these private lands. They Have To Work Under All Conditions. During filming of the episode "Something Wicked This Way Comes", the alligator hunters had to deal with another force of nature. Today gators average between 8 and 12 feet in length. For the state’s part they have made detailed scientific study of the alligators, their nests and the results of regulated hunting as well as the introduction of alligator farmers into the picture. (22.7 kg). Alligators breed rather easily — a single female will lay 30-50 eggs every spring, which she then buries in rotting vegetation. Louisiana didn't always have such an abundant alligator population. Louisiana has the highest alligator population, currently approaching 2 million. The alligator's rough skin makes it … An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are also nearly 1 million alligators on farms in Louisiana. In fact the earliest stories of alligators in our state began as far back as the establishment of a colony in 1699 by Sieur d'Iberville. The plantation economy was shattered by the Civil War although the state continued to be a powerful agricultural region. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) regulates on how and where alligators can be hunted in the state. Official State Reptile of Louisiana. Bayou Bartholomew is the longest bayou in the world and is located in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana. If the manatee appears injured, please call right away. Sports stadiums, Indian mounds, the Greek amphitheater and several lakes open for recreation are just some of the reasons to spend a day on the LSU campus. Louisiana has been harvesting alligators in the wild in great numbers since the early 1800’s. Troy is the son of Duffy and Myrtle Landry and has a brother known as Bubba Landry. 2021 Louisiana Swamp Base. The southern half of the state along the Gulf of Mexico is a wild and unique land of lakes, swamps, bayou life and alligators.The northern part of the state is comprised of prairies and farmland. There is no way of knowing exactly how many alligators can be found swimming in the many waterways of Louisiana. Alligators first appeared during the Oligocene epoch about 37 million years ago. Largest Alligator ever found on record measured 19.2 feet in Louisiana; Alligators can swim at 20 mph and they can run on land at 11 mph. Another change in Louisiana alligators is the alligator farms which began in 1986 (alligator ranching program) in response to the dwindling wild population. He even claimed that the expedition had killed an alligator that was 19 feet long. Currently over 2,000 licensed alligator hunters harvest 30,000 to 35,000 wild alligators annually in Louisiana. (225) 766-2113. Shreveport-Bossier has more than two dozen museums. After all, too many gators will pose risks to residents and the environment. Since their discovery in Louisiana, alligators have been a great renewable resource for the state. Louisiana Indian tribes were situated in the southeast part of the United States, just somewhere within the Gulf of Mexico. Rather, the activity is more like a job. Many other stories have mentioned the numerous alligators and their humongous sizes. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States, with a small population in Mexico. All State Reptiles. Mark Shirley, a Vermilion Parish alligator rancher who … Take a look at some of the steps you need to take before going alligator hunting.