Today in the park, (75° and sunny) I was walking near a place where I can usually see a number of different kinds of birds. Today, there weren't that many there, so I was getting ready to complain about that when I saw my first alligator of the year. Actually I saw only about half of it. The tail half of it was in a culvert that connects two ponds. The half I saw was fairly big, indicating an overall length on the order of 7 or 8 feet. Right next to this formidable reptile were four young ones, about 10-12 inches long. They were basking on a bank just out of the water. I don't really know the average litter size for alligators, but I would have guessed it was more than four. Big mom retreated into the culvert when she saw me. I watched the little guys for a while, but like most reptiles, they didn't do much. They look like some sort of really big newt actually. They're deep green with a few yellow stripes for camouflage. This was the first time I saw alligator young in the "wild" (Lake Seminole Park actually doesn't seem all that wild). I was only about 4 or 5 feet from them (keeping an eye on the culvert) and they didn't seem to care, or maybe they didn't even notice me. More likely they're born with little or no fear of anything. They are after all, the top of the food chain.
Seeing all this for some reason really elevated my mood. It's a great thing to witness the restarting of even a bunch of reptiles. They'll grow and probably prosper (in alligator terms) in the park for quite a few years. When they get too big or too aggressive they'll be moved out of the park. However, I don't think that that can be looked at as a form of alligator retirement. They'll be boots, belts and blackened gator tail would be my guess, but then there's really not a shortage of those guys around here. And in the meantime they have a life with little or no uncertainty.
Leaving the park, I had to walk through a parking lot heading toward the little gate I use for access. Bringing my mood back to normal was a kid, maybe 18 years old, wiping down his pick-up and blaring some God-awful rap "music" while he was doing it. Now when you are seeing something you don't like and complain about it you can be told, "Well, just don't look". While that may be O.K. sometimes for seeing or not seeing something, but it just doesn't work for noise. There is no choice but to listen, or at least hear. Walking by other people in the parking lot, I was met with head shakes which I of course returned.
Finally, something legitimate to complain about.
just a thought. bill brower, 22-feb-2004
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