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mardi 16 avril 2019

Info Post
By Stephanie Davis


The American alligator is a major predator in the swamps of the United States. The predator exists in large number in the southeastern states. At some point in time, the predator had decreased a lot in population due to over-exploitation and a lack of conservation laws and regulations. Today, with conservation laws and regulations in place, the population has risen to very high levels. Here are facts regarding Hunting for alligators.

Wildlife Service in the US in 1967 listed alligators as endangered species and banned any kind of exploitation of these animals. By mid-1970s, population of the gators had rebounded successfully in the various habitats in the country thus the protection proved to be very efficient. Gator population was so high that federal government passed management to individual states.

Hunting of gators later begun being legalized in various states as a result of this. However, hunters needed to have licenses and stick to a certain quota during hunting season just to make sure that over-hunting does not occur again. Every hunted gator was to bear the CITES tag. CITES which is an abbreviation for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

The skin and other parts of the gator are the reasons people hunt them. When harvested, the skins can be used to make a wide variety of leather products. Other gators are used as decorations in offices and homes where they are made into taxidermy. It is impossible to differentiate between American alligator skin and those of American crocodile and Chinese alligators.

The predators live in many locations. In majority of the states in the US, they can be found in reservoirs, swamps, coastal freshwater marshes, and major river drainage. They may also be found in farm ponds, lagoons, ditches, canals, and creek drainage. In generals, the predator can live in any water pool that can provide them with sufficient supply of food and prey.

In places where alligator populations are very high in residential areas, human-alligator conflict is eminent. The animals get accustomed to human activities and become both a nuisance and a danger to people. They regularly attack and kill pets outside homes. They also infringe into compounds and cause a threat to people. Encounters can be lethal in some cases.

Regulated hunting is allowed to curb such incidences. Members of the general public are required to apply for licenses that allow them to legally harvest and dispose alligators through permitted methods. This activity happens each year across several states. The open season may vary from state to state, but it typically lasts for one to two months. The activity is strictly regulated through federal and state laws.

After people harvest gators, they are taken to businesses that are specialized in harvesting and processing them. Skinning and harvesting useful parts are usually the processes that are involved. The skin can be sold for some thousands because it is the most valuable. Skin from juvenile gators costs less than those from adult gators. The size, weight, and age of the animal are some of the determining factors of cost.




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