iHerp_Australia_-_November_-_December_2018

August of 92, and I don’t have a college degree. As
a keeper, you deal with lots of animals and you
participate in a lot of guest events; you don’t do just
one thing. Today, you might have an alligator
feeding, a gator talk and a snake show. The next
day, you might find yourself cleaning out pools or
enclosures. On the third day, you might be doing
paperwork. There’s lots of variety.”

Coincidentally, this morning’s task is working with
the veterinarians. After the snakes receive a clean
bill of health, the albino alligator which had had eye
surgery four weeks ago has to have its sutures
examined. “If we ever have a dire emergency, then
we would drive the animal to Gainesville.”

St. Augustine is obviously concentrated on
maintaining its AZA accreditation by providing top-of

• the-line care for its animals. The Farm is renowned
  for its work with crocodiles, and even hosts the
  annual AZA Crocodilian Care and Biology training
  workshops. It is also noted for its conservation
  efforts, notably in the husbandry of Species Survival
  Plan (SSP) reptiles, mammals and birds. Begun in
  1981, for select wildlife parks and approved aquatic
  facilities in North America, the SSP program centres
  around the breeding of particular species generally
  considered threatened, with very distinctive
  guidelines on propagation and the feasibility of
  re-introduction into the wild. Six of the seven

reptilian SSP species at the Alligator Farm are listed

as Critically Endangered; the exception being the

Malayan or False Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii).

“Our primary focus, right this minute, is on the

Indian Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus). Basically, the

Alligator Farm collects funds from various events

and donations to send to India to help with their

conservation efforts,” Jim Darlington explains. The

longest of all extant crocodilians, the gharial is an

orthodontist’s dream, having 110 interlocking and

super-sharp teeth set along a narrow, elongated

snout. Males have a bulbous nodule at the tip,

resembling an earthenware pot, or ‘ghara’ in the

Hindi language, and hence the origin of the

common name.

‘The breeding program includes

SIX SPECIES which are CRITICALLY

ENDANGERED. Already, CHINESE

ALLIGATORS bred at St. Augustine

have been RELEASED INTO

PROTECTED HABITAT in China.’

“At the moment, we have a single male and two

female gharials who have laid eggs a few times;

usually there are about 30 in a clutch.” On June 2,

2016, the first gharial to be bred outside of its

natural range (being the Indian subcontinent and

Nepal) was born at the zoo. ‘Makara’ weighed in at

75g (2.65oz.) and measured 34.4cm (13.5ins.).

Chinese Alligators (Alligator sinensis) have also

been successfully bred at the St. Augustine Farm.

In a joint venture with WCS (Wildlife Conservation

Society), these gators were equipped with radio

transmitters and released into protected habitat in

China.

Then there are the Siamese Crocodiles (Crocodylus

siamensis). This Critically Endangered species has

been extirpated from the vast majority of its natural

range due to habitat degradation and hunting for

skins and to supply commercial crocodile farms. In

fact, it was thought to be possibly extinct in the wild

until discovered in the Cardamom Mountains of

Cambodia in 2000. A number of remnant popula-

tions have also been found in other countries.

“Our pair is steady (laying eggs),” says Jim

Darlington. “They have juveniles from previous

litters living with them and will even take care of the

babies of other types of crocodiles that we’ve snuck

into their litter. There is a zoo in Detroit that is slated

to re-introduce this species into the wild.”

Extraordinarily, this pair of Siamese Crocodiles

have been known to dote on a hatchling Chinese

Alligator – perhaps they didn’t notice the difference.

Jim Darlington continues, “We can sell our extra

crocs or loan them out to other approved zoos. For

a transfer, you have to get the animal out of the

water, tape the snout shut, and then tape the animal

to a board to restrain it. Sometimes, this means the

crocodile doesn’t have to be anesthetized to be

transported.”

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm has been a perma-

nent fixture on Florida’s eastern coast for 125 years.

With a dedicated staff and a conservation mindset,

it has blossomed into a full-blown research and

breeding institution. And it still manages to capture

the interest of all who come to visit: whether it’s the

elementary-school youngster ‘petting’ his first Boa

Constrictor; a veterinary student attending to his first

ailing alligator; or an adrenaline junkie sailing along

a zipline high above the gator rookery. Who says

you need roller coasters or fairy-tale princesses to

delight?

Ste. Augustine Alligator Farm, 999 Anastasia Blvd,

Ste. Augustine, FL, United States; tel: (904) 824-

3337;website: http://www.alligatorfarm.com; info: jbrueg-

[email protected] (general director John

Brueggen) or [email protected]

(general curator Gen Anderson).

Left: Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis)

hatchlings.

Above: James Drysdale and Kiersten Wallace

raiding nests for eggs which are removed for artificial

incubation. Images courtesy St. Augustine Alligator

Farm.