Live alligators are coming to Auburn University’s Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve Saturday for all to see and, if they dare, pet.
In preparation for the alligators’ visit, Jennifer Lolley, the preserve’s administrator, made two trips to alligator-oriented attractions to learn more about handling the reptiles.
“It was a dream come true for a person like me,” she said.
Lolley said her fascination with alligators comes from visiting the Okefenokee Swamp as a child growing up in Georgia.
“I teach reptile classes, and the alligator is probably the
favorite among all the children and adults when we do a lot of programs.
“I try to have a sample of each reptile category, but of course I don’t have an alligator or crocodile, so I want to get one for the preserve.
“Going to Alligator Alley, I can get one at no cost,” she said. “I’ll keep it just until I am uncomfortable with its size, which will probably be 18 to 20 inches.”
Lolley said she went to Alligator Alley in Summerdale, near Gulf Shores, to visit with owner Wes Moore.
“He loves his gators,” she said. “He actually goes and gets gators that have become a nuisance or a problem.
“He is one of the ones who can go and rescue the animal.”
Evan Wheeler with Alligator Alley will present Saturday’s program on the reptiles. He will have live alligators for visitors to see and pet.
“Creepy Wonderful Critters, All About Alligators!” begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at the preserve. Admission is $3.
Lolley said she also went to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in Florida and met for about three hours with the head of the herpetology section, who took her on a behind-the-scenes tour.
“He got out alligators of different sizes,” she said. “The actual one I handled was about 3 feet long.”
She said she got to go in with the big ones after they fed them.
“I wanted them nice and full first,” she said. “The whole experience was very interesting.”
Lolley said there is a lot to holding an alligator that she didn’t know, and she learned how to tape their mouths shut and how to do a quick release when needed.
Knowing how the alligator moves is an important part of handling one.
“The head and the tail move at the same time toward each other,” she said. “So, the tail pushes their food toward the mouth.
“It’s important to know when you are handling them, because you have to control that tail.”
She said the Alligator Farm donated samples of alligator food, alligator eggs, alligator teeth and one of the bony plates from an alligator’s back for her to show on Saturday.
“I am going back to the farm for about five days and (will) work with their staff just to learn just a little bit more,” Lolley said.
If you Go
What: “Creepy Wonderful Critters, All About Alligators!”
When: 10 a.m. Saturday
Where: Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve, 2222 N. College St. in Auburn, just past the Fisheries Center ponds
Admission: $3
For more information, call Jennifer Lolley at 334-707-6512 or visit the preserve’s website at www.auburn.edu/ preserve.