Louisiana Fur and Alligator Advisory Council                          

        

• only 10-20% of wild alligators survive to reach the length of four feet (due to cannibalism by larger alligators, losses to predators and natural mortality)
• landowners work to maintain the wetlands due in part to economic incentive
• some eggs are harvested from the wild every year by the landowners and sold to alligator farmers
• the alligators grow to four feet on farms in 12-18 months, but take 4-5 years to reach four feet in the wild
• the farmers are required to return 14% of their healthy, 4-foot (or greater) alligators to the wild each year
• in the 1960s there were less than 100,000 wild alligators in Louisiana; now there are around 1.5 million in the wild plus those on the farms
• the wild population is now supporting a controlled hunting season
• every alligator harvested must be tagged with a CITES (Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species) tag. These tags are issued annually for wild alligator harvests based onalligator habitat quality assessments.
• the farmed alligators, which are returned to the wild, are marked and tagged, so that follow-up research can be done to insure their successful assimilation back into the wild
• alligators returned to the wild from farms are growing faster in the wild than wild alligators
• the landowners earn money through the sale of the eggs and wild alligator harvested, the farmers earn money from the 86% of the alligators they keep, and the hunters/trappers earn money through the wild alligators harvested during the wild season
• thus, farmers, landowners, and hunters/trappers work together with scientists and legislators to protect the alligator and its home, the wetlands

Alligator Time-Line

• 1800 is our earliest record of alligator products such as boots, shoes, and saddles.
• During the first quarter of the nineteenth century thousands of alligators were hunted.
• During the next half century, there was only sporadic use. This decrease in use was due to the fact that alligator leather was not thought to be durable allowing dampness to pass through it.
• During the Civil War boots for soldiers were made from alligator leather.
• During the late 1860s alligator products begin to rise to the top of the fashion charts.
• During the late 1800s commercial tanning processes made alligator leather soft and durable.
• Through the 1930s millions of alligators were killed.
• Then through the early 1960s fewer and smaller alligators were taken from the wild.
• In 1962 Louisiana banned the hunting of alligators.
• In 1967 the alligator was listed on the federal Endangered Species Act.
• 1962-1972 extensive research was done on alligators, their populations, and their reproduction. A plan was born to protect the species as a sustainable resource.
• In 1970 legislature made provisions for an experimental commercial harvest.
• In 1972 the alligator season was opened in Cameron Parish only.
• By 1975, three Parishes had a legal season.
• By 1981, every Parish had a legal season.
• By 1986, alligator farming was statewide.
• Today we have between one and two million alligators in the wild.

Wildlife Management Facts

Wildlife and Fisheries along with biologists, hunters, and trappers work to maintain a balance in nature. Species, which are underpopulated, are protected. Species, which are overpopulated, are carefully and humanely controlled.

Overpopulation:

Nature's way of controlling species is often cruel and includes slow starvation and diseases, such as red mange, distemper, and rabies.

• Failing to control overpopulation causes damage to land and property.
• Beavers cause about $400 million in damages every year in the U.S by flooding roads and bridges, ruining timber, and spoiling crops.
• One river otter in a crawfish farm causes $300 worth of damage per week.

Control through hunting and trapping:

• As opposed to disease and starvation, hunting and trapping are quick and humane.
• Allowing hunting and trapping in an overpopulated area can decrease the frequency and severity of diseases, such as red mange, distemper, and rabies.
• Hunting and trapping allows the total use of the animal. Pelts are used for clothing, the meat is used for human and animal consumption, and other parts are used for scientific research. For example, the alligator embryo is used in cleft palate research.
• The economic incentive to the hunter and trapper encourages them to actively protect the natural habitats. According the National Trappers' Association, for every tax dollar spent on conservation, sportsmen spend $12.