Alligator Farm or Alligator Ranch
Many people may not recognize the difference between an alligator farm and an alligator ranch. The difference, however, is substantial.
An alligator farm is a closed system. In an alligator farm, mature alligators capable of breeding are kept on the farm for the production of new stock for the farm. Examples of alligator farms can be found in Florida. These farms commonly house several hundred to a few thousand alligators. As a result of their relatively low number of animals, many of these Florida farms are also tourist attractions.
An alligator ranch is an open system. In an alligator ranch, new stock is acquired by the harvest of alligator eggs from the natural habitat of the alligator. Large breeders found on farms in Florida are not commonly found on alligator ranches. The Louisiana Alligator Rancher searches the marshes throughout the state to find and harvest as many as 500,000 eggs during the early summer months. Their efforts culminate in August with the hatching of new stock. Ranchers generally house alligators from birth to 1 or 2 years of age that seldom reach over 4 ½ feet in length. Alligator Ranches were first envisioned by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries in the 1960's. It wasn't until 1985 that the first alligator ranch was established. During the early 1990's there were over 100 alligator ranches housing nearly 200,000 alligators in the state. Today there are about 35 alligator ranches with over 400,000 alligators on these ranches in Louisiana. Some of these ranches are quite large, several having more than 20,000 alligators, with the largest housing nearly 100,000 alligators. Because of the large number of animals on these ranches, Louisiana alligator ranches are not as conducive to tourism. In fact there is only one ranch in Louisiana that is open for guided tours and that is Insta-Gator Ranch and Hatchery.
Because of the concept of alligator ranching envisioned and created by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana has the largest wild population of crocodilian in the world and produces more crocodilian leather than all of the rest of the world combined. Today there are more alligators indoors in Louisiana than there were in the wilds of Louisiana before the ranching program started in 1985. |
