Gator Country

Ok, I was reviewing posts from my blog and realized this one was still in the drafts column and had never been published so even though it's old I'm publishing it now-
While we were down in Texas last summer we went to Gator Country with my dad and LeeAnne. Here are some picture from our visit-
This first picture is take to the side of a large pier that you can stand out on and throw bits of hot dogs down to the gators in the pond below. It's fun 'cause they all snap and thrash in the water and there's tons of them right below you. In this photo they're just chillin' at the moment because no ones feeding them but they wake up pretty quick for feeding time. This is a baby gator that was born with a deformed jaw. Because of the jaw problem it can't bite down and has to be hand fed. Leah loved this little gator and would have taken him home if she could have. During part of the show they let people hold the little gator if they want.

Here's Leah holding that little gator-Jacob holding the same little alligator- Here is a picture of my dad with Jacob and Michael. We took a wheelchair that day so he could conserve energy. He would get winded very easily.

Here is a picture of Jacob looking off the pier while feeding alligators-

Michael looking off the pier- A picture of Michael during the show-

Leah Jacob and Michael with my dad just inside the entrance to gator country-

For some reason LeeAnne's camera was putting borders around pictures- A photo of Leah with my dad-

Jacob during the show- A sign from Gator Country showing that they're the show Gator 911 on CMT.

Ok, so in one pond they keep this really big, old alligator all to himself. This picture really doesn't show how big he is. For part of the show the people who give the show enter the fence that surrounds that pond and go around it from side to side and feed Big Al. It's fun for kids because they get to watch the gator snap and see how close he gets to the person but no one gets hurt. The "trainer" even jumps into the pond with the gator at one point, but quickly gets out. One thing I found interesting is they said they've had to change the show up because Big Al would learn where they would be and would be there instead of following the distraction they'd set up to keep themselves safe. Smart alligator. This is a big snapping turtle they have in a pen-

This is a rosy python they have. Leah's favorite color may be yellow, but she didn't want anything to do with this snake and I don't blame her one bit.

Jacob holding the snake-of course he's not scared.... Here is a picture of LeeAnne, my Dad, and Leah, Jacob, & Michael-