While in Jacksonville, Florida, we took a day trip to an alligator farm on Anastasia Island, a barrier island just east of St. Augustine. In the late 19th century, George Reddington and Felix Fire founded the Alligator Farm with alligators they collected on Anastasia Island. The reptile and animal population at the park grew as people moved into Florida and would bring animals that had been captured on property that was being developed to the park. It is now home not only to alligators but also to all 23 species of crocodiles known in the world as well as Galapagos tortoises, snakes and even a large, open rookery that is home to many different wild and wading birds.
There are paths that wind through the park so you can see the alligators, birds and other wildlife in their natural settings. A large wooden walk goes over the swamps that are home to the alligators. The trees and brush were alive with the different birds that were in the area that day.
Between rain showers, we enjoyed the educational programs that showcase some of the more unusual occupants like porcupine and African bullfrogs. You can also get your picture taken as you hold an albino alligator or a python. One of the alligators had crawled into a canoe that was part of the large demonstration pen and he stayed in it all day. It looked like he had been placed in time-out, away from the other alligators. The park has done an excellent job of making their pens as similar to their natural habitat as possible. In fact, they said that there is natural breeding among the alligators. They are able to make their nest mounds and the eggs are allowed to hatch each spring. It is a controlled environment, so after a certain number have hatched the remaining eggs are destroyed.
With their focus on the alligator, they are credited with promoting public awareness during the 1960s and 1970s when alligators were very close to extinction. They have been recognized for providing research opportunities since they have had the alligators in a controlled environment for decades. The park has been showcased in several scientific as well as popular magazines and journals from as early as 1911 when National Geographic magazine ran a photo from the Alligator Farm. Their most famous resident was a saltwater crocodile captured off the coast of Australia. Gomek was almost 18 feet long and weighed over a ton when he died of heart disease in 1997. He was known for his tolerance of humans and considered quite tame. The handlers could go in his pen and get within three feet of him, not usually a good idea with other saltwater crocodiles.
Reminder
The reward is now $2,000 for information on who killed Jerry Spivey's miniature dachshund, Millie. She was in the field at the intersection of Buckskin and Sorrel early in the afternoon of Aug. 5 when she was shot. If you know anything that will help solve this case, please contact the sheriff's office at 782-9935.
n To reach Gail Davis, e-mail RuhenstrothRamblings@yahoo.com or call 265-1947.
