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Gator farms balk over California ban

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Louisiana gator farmers get ornery as California's ban finally goes into effect

A California law that will make alligator-skin boots and purses taboo has Louisiana farmers ornery.

The Bayou State accused California in a lawsuit of trying to “destroy” the lucrative market for American alligator with its ban on the sale of the animals’ skins.

Due to take effect Jan. 1, the ban has already resulted in canceled orders and a steep drop in the price for alligator skins, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Sacramento. Louisiana asked a judge to put the restriction on hold while it challenges it in court.

Louisiana is suing California because California is banning products made from alligator skin.

The alligator skins are just the latest items on California’s hit list. Free plastic grocery bags and complimentary plastic straws in restaurants aren’t allowed. Sales of foie gras and fur are banned. And California also became the first state to prohibit pet stores from selling dogs, cats or rabbits that don’t come from shelters or adoption centers.

Louisiana officials say the alligator industry pumps $80 million a year into the state. Trappers collected 15,052 alligator skins in 2017 while farmers harvested 382,039 alligators valued at more than $70 million, including the meat, according to the Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council.

Apparently, the California ban has the potential to devastate the industry.

“If the California ban is allowed to go into effect — it would destroy the alligator industry and its jobs in Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Georgia, and California,” Louisiana Atty. Gen. Jeff Landry said in a statement.

The ban and the accompanying price drop are pushing up the cost of controlling “nuisance” gators, the commission says. The price of hides has fallen so much that Louisiana wildlife officials are now having to pay for removal of nuisance alligators, whereas earlier, trappers would get rid of them for their hides and meat.

I'm not sure what to make of this. The article mentioned that alligators were once threatened by extinction, but then the population rebounded.

American alligators were once threatened by extinction, but after being placed on the endangered species list in 1967, the population rebounded, and in 1979 rules were adopted to allow the export of American alligator hides. The American alligator is now listed as “threatened due to similarity of appearance” to other species throughout its range, according to the lawsuit.

"Threatened due to similarity of appearance"? What does that mean? Either they're an endangered species or not. Though they're also being bred on farms, so wouldn't that help increase their numbers?

All I know is, I wouldn't want to work on an alligator farm.
 

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
All I know is, I wouldn't want to work on an alligator farm.
Is there such a thing as an alligator farm?

It sounds as ridiculous as a Hoosier white tail deer farm.

There are no deer farms because deer breed rapidly, when the natural predators are erased. Instead, the deer trash everything. They're trying desperately to feed and reproduce. They destroy the landscape. They'll destroy everything green unless someone culls them.

I suspect alligators in Louisiana are similar. You have to kill them yourself, since you've killed off all the natural predators and spoiled the balance of nature.

Tom
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Is there such a thing as an alligator farm?

Apparently so, at least according to the article.

It sounds as ridiculous as a Hoosier white tail deer farm.

There are no deer farms because deer breed rapidly, when the natural predators are erased. Instead, the deer trash everything. They're trying desperately to feed and reproduce. They destroy the landscape. They'll destroy everything green unless someone culls them.

I suspect alligators in Louisiana are similar. You have to kill them yourself, since you've killed off all the natural predators and spoiled the balance of nature.

Tom

The article mentioned that, due to the lower demand for alligators (and the subsequent decrease in price), they expect far more "nuisance alligators," since they'll be hunted less.

Some morning you'll wake up, look out your backyard, and find a scene similar to this:

 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
d3d6792cd24623f04cb442b07941d9c8.png
 

Shad

Veteran Member
I suspect alligators in Louisiana are similar. You have to kill them yourself, since you've killed off all the natural predators and spoiled the balance of nature.

Tom

Alligators are at the top of the food chain in the area besides humans. Only when young thus small are alligators prey. Keeping in mind how large the animal becomes after hatching
 
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