Living in Southeast Texas, it is not unusual to see alligators sunning themselves on the edges of ponds and swamps. But what if you find one on your front porch? Who are you going to call? Well, Ghostbusters aren’t equipped for that, but the staff at Gator Country are.
Charles Holder interned at the reserve over the summer. He said his biggest rescue was a nine-feet, seven-inch gator.
“We caught it my third or fourth week here,” he said. “The situation was we had somebody calling in an eight-foot alligator up underneath their porch. As soon as the picture rolled through, we looked at that head one time, and said, ‘That’s not an eight-foot alligator.’ They called it in as an eight-footer, but measured nine-foot-seven.”
Holder said the preparations for catching alligators is humane and keeps the animal’s health in mind. The team work together to tie the legs up, tape the mouth, and wrap the head to keep it from escaping.
“Once it’s taped, you can tie the legs behind them in a comfortable position,” he said. “We call it swaddling, where we just hold those legs tied up against the tail, do a couple of racks and tape to secure those back legs, because that’s where it gets 90% of his power from. Once we get the timeouts secured, we just pick them up, bring them to the ponds or put them back in the truck. They’re usually pretty chill after that.”
Holder is an online student at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, currently majoring in communications with a minor in Fisheries and Wildlife Science, both coming in handy for working with the amphibious reptiles.
Holder said he’s always loved animals, especially reptiles.
“My mom would yell at me when I was little for bringing snakes in the house — and now she still yells at me for bringing snakes in the house,” he said. “It’s come full circle for sure.”
After participating in activities such as speech and debate and the theater arts, Holder knew he could use his love for communication to advocate for wildlife.
“I saw a job posting that said venomous snakes and alligators, and I applied first thing,” he said. “I knew I wanted to do something for the summer, work with some animals. It was just a matter of where. And with how far reaching this job was, I figured I could get so much experience in different areas.”
A standard week for Holder included off-site and on-site shows introducing the different animals.
“The whole thing that we’re about here is giving guests that personal experience with an animal to get to learn about it,” he said. “It’s one thing when you’re watching it on a documentary and hearing about these snakes and lizards, and it’s another thing when somebody’s holding it right in front of you. I suppose that’s where that blending of communications and fisheries and wildlife comes in. I always say I’m not smart, but I take what the smart people are saying and repeat it with passion.”
Holder said his favorite part of working at Gator Country was the guest interactions.
“Seeing the look on people’s faces that never in a million years thought that they could hold a snake, or who are deathly terrified of snakes, lizards or frogs, and actually working them up to eventually getting to hold one is just a big full-circle moment for me,” he said. “Hands down the best job I’ve ever had in my entire life. It is the perfect blend of Communications and Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences in my opinion. You get to not only work hands-on with these incredible animals every single day, but you also get to talk to others about it.”
Gator Country is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $17 for adults and $14 for children ages 3-12.
To apply for an internship, contact Gator Country at (409) 794-9453
For information, visit gatorrescue.com.
