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Florida's Alligators Alligator Wrestling
Alligator wrestling is among the cruelest of Florida's attractions. Alligator wrestlers use their trade at roadside tourist stops
or bring their act to fairs across the country. The shows are billed as "Man vs. Gator," a contest in which the odds are stacked
against the alligator. One thing is certain: alligators are never willing participants in the spectacle.
At the height of the tourist season, attractions may put on as many as two dozen shows a day. Many alligator shows frequently
aquire new, "fresh" alligators, and send to slaughter those animals who have grown accustomed to being handled.
Alligator wrestling acts begin when the animal is dragged by the tail into the center of the ring. What follows next is open to
variation. Some wrestlers jump or climb onto the alligator's back, putting pressure with both hands on the animals neck,
forcing his or her head down. Others force the mouth closed with one hand, and attempt to flip the animal. This ends with the
overturned alligator losing consciousness. Another trick is to cover the alligator's eyes with one hand, which causes the animal
to stop fighting. To conclude, a hard rap on the nose makes the alligator open his mouth and show the audience his teeth.
It is wrong to hold wild animals in captivity for entertainment and profit. Alligator shows are not educational. In Canada,
alligator wrestling promoters have been brought to court on animal cruelty charges. Israel outlawed alligator wrestling in
1997.
Alligators are raised for their skin and flesh on alligator "farms" in the southern United States.
The farming of alligators began after it was discovered at some of Florida's earliest roadside zoos that alligators bred
successfully in captivity. Today, in Louisiana, Florida and other southern states, close to 200 farms raise alligators from eggs
to slaughter. Tens of thousands of these magnificent animals are slaughtered in Florida each year.
Alligators on farms live for years in often dirty, crowded and highly unnatural conditions in concrete or metal tanks. Disease
and fighting among alligators raised for slaughter are commonplace.
Slaughter on an alligator farm is inhumane. The farmer decides which methods will be used to kill the animals. They may be
clubbed with hammers, shot with a bangstick, or axes or sharp wedges are used to sever the spinal cord. Although not able to
move about, the alligator may still be alive, and semi-conscious when skinning begins. The bangstick, a firearm also used in
hunting alligators, was developed as a result of many alligators at processing facilities being skinned while still breathing,
their eyes open, fully conscious.
The alligator industry is attempting to introduce alligator products into mainstream markets. Never buy products made from
alligators, and speak out against the sale of alligator meat or skin. Boycott alligator farms, like GatorLand in Orlando, which
operate as tourist attractions, with gift shops selling souvenirs and sometimes offering alligator wrestling. The farm itself is
off-limits to the tourist.
During Florida's public alligator hunt, each hunter is allowed to kill up to five alligators.
Alligators are hunted in darkness on lakes and other waterways in Florida using bright lights, bait and a variety of weapons.
Harpoons, consisting of a sharp, penetrating point attached to a restraining line, are the most popular weapon for hunting
alligators, although a three-prong "snatch" hook used with a fishing rod, baited wooden pegs, and bows are also common.
After being harpooned or hooked, the unfortunate alligator is fought to exhaustion, drawn close to the boat, and killed by
lowering his/her head beneath the water and firing a bangstick. Hunters describe how, upon firing of the bangstick, "blood
colors the water a cloudy red."
Regulations state that alligators must be killed before being dragged into a boat, but alligators are extremely difficult to kill.
The improper placement and discharge of the bangstick frequently just renders the alligator temporarily unconscious. Without
having the spinal cord severed and the brain destroyed, the alligator can be left to suffer long after being pulled from the
water.
Speak out against the killing of animals for sport!
Alligators play an important role in Florida's ecosystem. Alligators build ponds and nests in wetlands that create habitat for a
wide variety of life. For example, the Florida Red-bellied turtle incubates her eggs in `alligator holes,' which are an important
source of water in the dry season.
Alligators have complex social behavior, including elaborate courtship displays. You can hear the bellowing of courting
alligators in swamps in the spring. Recent studies on alligator social behavior have found a significant degree of complexity in
these animals' ability to communicate vocally and visually (through a complex series of body postures). Baby alligators will
stay with their mothers for as long as two years. Female alligators are very protective of their nests. These unique animals,
descended from crocodilians that have existed for about 150 million years, can live to be 35 years old in the wild.
Hunting and poaching decimated Florida's alligator population until they received federal protection in the 1970s. Today, the
alligator remains vulnerable to human exploitation. Though large in size, alligators are not by instinct aggressive toward
humans, and actually have a natural fear of humans.
Alligators are part of what makes Florida unique, and we must learn to respect and protect these animals.
Animal Rights Foundation of Florida |
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