https://youtu.be/0LpURWiRJyQ
Our adventure began on Route 69 South toward Beaumont.
After stopping at a Woodville gas station to grab some gummy bears, a road trip essential, Megan and I continued our journey toward Gator Country, singing along to every word of Kelly Clarkson’s 2007 hit “Since You’ve Been Gone,” and enjoying the open road.
When we finally arrived at Gator Country, we were welcomed with banners and flags all along the driveway. We pulled into a parking space and before we even got out of the vehicle I had spotted an alligator. As we got out of the car and approached an enclosed body of water, I spotted several more alligators.
On the pathway to the main building we walked over a small wooden bridge that took us directly over the alligators. Once we crossed the bridge I noticed a “Free Gator Feed” sign on an ice chest located near the door. Curiously, I opened the ice chest to see what was inside and to my surprise was startled by a snake. I quickly screamed, dropped the lid of the chest, and backed away. Of course, the snake wasn’t real but at a quick glance it was enough to startle me. We then proceeded into the building, laughing about how scared I had become.
We were greeted by an intern named David. He got us all set up with real gator feed, and we were excited see what was next. We were assigned to a tour guide, an intern named Diana, where we were then escorted into a room full of Burmese python snakes. The room also contained a few small alligators and a Cuvier’s dwarf caiman named Caiman, which s a small crocodilian from northern and central South America. A fun fact we learned about Caiman is that the species is able to climb trees. After getting some more information and hands on action with a few of the animals, we were taken into another part of the building. Here, Megan and I got a hands-on experience with a baby alligator.
After we held the baby alligators, we were taken into another portion of the building where we got to hold a Argentine tegu lizard named Betty. This lizard was very gentle and had a forked tongue. We were informed by Diana that the lizard liked to be held like a baby. As I held the lizard, I noticed it weighed a lot more than I had anticipated. Its skin was black and white, and it had a beaded feel to it. Diana told us that tegus can be litter box trained and can also be trained to learn their name if one becomes a pet.
After Megan and I held Betty, we got to hold a few other types of lizards such as the leopard gecko named Echo, crested gecko named Sir Lancealot, and vence chameleon named Cato. We then rounded the corner to an area filled with venomous and non-venomous snake enclosures. The right side of the hallway was where the non-venomous snakes were held, and the left side was where the venomous snakes were. Megan was brave enough to hold Rosie the rose boa, but I, on the other hand, was not. Even though I have an extreme fear of snakes, I did manage to pet a few.
After we finished seeing the snakes, we were taken to our last indoor location where we were shown a tarantula. Neither Megan nor I held the tarantula, but Diana did get it out and show it to us. We quickly moved on.
Once we had seen all the indoor animals, we were taken out a side door where we were able to see two raccoons, which are owned by Arlie Hammonds, Gator Country Owner. The raccoons were inside a tall, wired enclosure. They were hiding inside a small wooden house, like object inside the fence, but our tour guide managed to lure them out.
After seeing the raccoons, we made our way along a wooden pathway toward a few ponds out back. We passed the enclosures where Big Tex, a 13 foot 4 inch alligator, and Big Al, a 13 foot 8 inch alligator, were kept. We made our way to another fenced in pond that was holding a few medium sized alligators. After tossing some of our gator feed to the alligators, we were then taken back up toward Big Al’s enclosure where we watched a small show. We watched as Hammonds tried to lure Big Al up on the banks of the pond. After the show was over, we had a small chat with Hammonds. He told us he jumped his first alligator when he was seven and, “I’ve been doing it since.”
After speaking to Hammonds, we were allowed to roam the property and feed any of the outdoor animals. Megan and I made our way toward a large body of water that had a dock stretching out over some large alligators. There we gave the rest of our gator feed to the alligators. After we were done there, we went over to an area where some tortoises were being kept. This area had a small border around it to keep the tortoises in while allowing tourists inside. After looking at the tortoises, Megan and I headed inside to see what the gift shop had to offer. Gator Country has a nice gift shop full of t-shirts, stuffed animals, and a small section of jewelry.
After purchasing a few souvenir items, Megan and I grabbed our things to leave. There sat Hammonds on a stool near the exit. We thanked him for our time at the rescue, and we told him about the article we planned to write about our adventure. We asked him if he wanted us to tell our readers anything specific, and the one thing he said was, “The next time you come, bring me a sandwich.”
We made our exit, said goodbye to the alligators, got in the car, and turned on the radio to Kesha’s “We R Who We R” for the trip back home.
Gator Country is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit gatorrescue.com.
https://youtu.be/VJQrpX-4V3Y
