A Gator's Visit to Gatorland

My wife and I have had our own alligator for nearly twenty years. He's part of the reason we grew interested in alligators and crocodiles. So when we visit a place like Gatorland in Orlando Florida, it's natural that he'd want to accompany us.

Gator enjoyed watching his cousins sunning on the warm wooden decks.

He enjoyed watching his friends swim in the rivers of the preserve.

(He took care to not fall in. Like us, he's not that much of a gator-lover).

He enjoyed looking around at the scenic beauty, and the local wildlife, even the birds (like the Egrets) that are drawn to Gatorland. Oh, and there was another form of wildlife he enjoyed watching soar above him.

He's not sure what they're called, but they looked like they were having a good time. Their raucous calls probably weren't mating rituals, but they must have communicated something significant.

And then there was the lunch, which he shared with his friends. He especially liked the corn dogs, as all gators like meat. But he also enjoyed sharing the Goldfish crackers and the Oreo cookies with his friends.

Dragon Dave

Gator-Sitting at Gatorland

You've heard of babysitting, housesitting, and even dog sitting, right? There's a sport that's growing in popularity in Orlando, Florida. It's called Gator-Sitting, and you can try your hand at it at Gatorland.

After the handlers tape up the alligator's mouth, they direct you to approach the alligator cautiously. When they feel the animal is comfortable with you, they direct you to sit on the alligator. Of course, you need to ease yourself down, as you don't want to startle the gator. At least, not if you want it to remain calm, and you want to get your photograph taken with the alligator. 

While the handlers try to keep out of the photograph, they need to remain close. No matter how well trained, alligators are still wild animals, and can react violently to the presence of humans. 

Especially if they're hungry.

This young lady had not yet placed her hands on the gator's mouth when it swung its head unexpectedly. The handler shouted for her to remove her hands, and she whipped them immediately to her side. It's a good thing she had fast reflexes. Duct tape may be strong, but an alligator's jaws are stronger.

Standing beyond the fencing, we heard novice gator-sitters tell the handlers that they came from all over the world, including countries in Europe and South America. So it seems that this growing sport is prompting more and more people to visit Orlando, Florida.

This doesn't mean that everyone is enthusiastic about trying their hands at gator-sitting. This young girl only sat on the gator after a good deal of encouragement from her parents, and kept her hands firmly to herself. Thankfully, she emerged unharmed from her first attempt at gator-sitting.

Personally, I can't blame her for not smiling. 

While I like alligators and crocodiles, I have no great desire to get close to them. Well, except for this large fellow here. He seemed so cheerful and welcoming that I felt comfortable sitting on him, even without his jaws being taped. Still, I didn't linger on his back. After all, I didn't know what he was smiling about.

Dragon Dave

Alligator Wrestling at Gatorland

At many zoos, you don't get to see the handlers interacting with the animals. Not so with the alligators at Gatorland in Orlando, Florida, where you can see real, live, people wrestling with alligators!

After welcoming you to the show, the handler will ask for a volunteer from the audience. He will then ask the volunteer to select a gator for him to wrestle. Then the handler will leap over the trenches surrounding the square sand pit, and pull the gator out of the water!

Naturally, the handler will respect the mouth, as not only do gators have powerful jaws, but their teeth also tend to be on the sharp side. So he'll sit on the ground, and control the gator's head, so it can't twist around and bit off his arm.

While the jaws are very strong, it takes surprising little strength to hold them shut. Shut is a good way to keep an alligator's mouth. But then, it's also a good rule for people, as we often say things without thinking, and those ill-chosen words can sometimes injure others as seriously as a gator's jaws.

Handlers at Gatorland take the time to build strong relationships with the animals in their charge. This keeps them in tune with their gator's moods, behavior, and capabilities. This relationship, based on trust and mutual respect, allows them to perform physical feats with their animals as practiced, graceful, and awe-inspiring as those of trapeze artists or ballet dancers.

But then, you reap what you sow in this life, don't you?

Dragon Dave

Birdwatching at Gatorland

Humans aren't the only visitors to Gatorland. Some of them have brilliant white plumage, and a few of those even have colorful footwear. These large white birds are called Egrets, and they love nothing more than watching the alligators in their natural habitat. 

Or even interacting with them.

There are other types of birds who hang out at Gatorland, including Turkey Vultures, and this little fellow who thinks he's a penguin from Madagascar. But then, it's the holiday season, so naturally the Egrets adopt a more welcoming mood.

This Blue Crane liked nothing better than to stand in the water and survey his surroundings like royalty. If he wore jeweled slippers beneath the water, they were hidden by his reflection.

It's not just the Egrets who have to share Gatorland with their feathered friends; Macaws also reside there. The fellow on the left loved to flap his wings, even as he was clinging to the branch. I wonder if he was happy to share his domain with the Egrets.

We certainly didn't mind spending a little time with the Macaws, admiring their colorful plumage. Or at least, until their incessant chatter overwhelmed our ears.

Nor did we mind sharing our visit with the Egrets, even if they pushed their way into shots occasionally. 

At least the gators don't seem to mind the Egrets, or the rest of their feathered visitors. While they make Gatorland seem a little crowded at times, I suppose theme parks are supposed to be crowded, right?

Dragon Dave

On Sketching White Alligators

They're called Leucistic Gators for a reason: this rare species has even less skin pigmentation than albino alligators. Lacking pigmentation makes direct sunlight harmful to them. Hence, they are kept in a environmentally-controlled enclosure at Gatorland.

It's interesting how artificial lighting affects our vision. The interior lighting seemed to imbue the Leucistic gator with color, as does the water he bathed in the day I sketched him (see yesterday's post). So I tried to imbue the gator in my sketch with that coloring. Oh, and I made two mistakes: 1) I gave my gator brown eyes, when Leucistic Gators, as a species, all have blue eyes; and 2) I couldn't get the dark water right, so he ends up looking like he's laying on grass instead. 

This photo, taken from our previous visit, gives you an idea of how colorful he looked while relaxing on the wooden deck.

Notice anything else? In the photo, the deck looks green. Yet when I sat there sketching, the deck looked light blue, without a hint of green. Strange, huh?

If and when I return to Gatorland, I'd be interesting to sketch the Leucistic Gators again. Perhaps I'll get closer to drawing them as they really are, color-wise. (Or lack-of-color-wise). In any case, if I want to see them, I'd better hurry up. There are only thirteen known Leucistic Alligators in the world, and none of them are female. But at least Gatorland has four of them, which gives me a good chance of seeing one upon my (potential) return.

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links
Behind Blue Eyes (a short documentary on Leucistic Alligators)

The Leucistic Gators of Gatorland

While on vacation, it's tempting to flit from attraction to attraction, never spending more than the minimum amount at any. After all, there's so much out there to see, right? But my wife and I have visited Gatorland before, and on this trip, we wanted to spend more time there. For a little more than the price of a single-day ticket, we purchased an annual pass. It gave us the option of coming back again, and as an added bonus, we also saved money on food and in the gift shop. 

On our second visit, the weather was cold. So we hung out inside the White Gator exhibit, and enjoyed sketching our reptilian friends. There we learned that the White Gators are not Albino, but called Leucistic Gators. This term has to do with the reason behind their lack of pigmentation, but the only obvious difference is that these White Gators had colored eyes, whereas those of an Albino would be pink.

It was interesting to study our White Gators, and as other visitors stopped by, they even asked us questions about them. As my wife had read the signs, she handled the latter like a seasoned professional. But then, I have a high regard for her advice and counsel. 

After awhile, it was time to leave our new friends, as my wife wanted to warm up, and catch the Gator Wrestling show. So we left it to other human visitors to keep the White Gators of Gatorland company, and celebrate the holidays with them. 

But then, who wouldn't jump at the chance of spending some quality time with this adorable little fellow?

Dragon Dave

The Gators of Gatorland

At Gatorland in Florida, you'll see:

1) Lounging Gators,

2) Festive Gators,

3) Resting Gators,

4) Tasty Gators,

5) Gator-buddies, and

6) Bird-Loving Gators.

All of this begs two questions:

1) Do I naturally put alligators at their ease? Or...

2): Are the Gators at Gatorland just happy to see me?

Dragon Dave