By Mark Bowen, Marketing Director at Tara
There are no shortage of alligators here at Tara. During the warmer months, we have little problems finding a gator to view. Most, if not all, of the water holes, lakes, and waterways nearby seem to be full of them. Gators up to 13 feet have been removed from the property in recent years.
Numerous gators from Tara have been tagged and released elsewhere (we won’t tell where). These gators may weigh up to 700 pounds and more. If you get a chance to visit the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, there is a full body gator on display that was removed from the Tara properties. It’s about 12 feet long.
In my early years working here, I was fascinated and very wary of them, but now that I understand their nature more, I find them less disturbing.
Respect the Gator
We take a view that we are in the gators natural habitat and we are the visitor. We give them their space and respect their habitat. If you want to take a photo of a gator, it’s best to do it with a zoom lens.
Alligator myths
Some people think gators are vicious, aggressive animals that will attack you without provocation. For the most part, gators are very wary of humans with a few exceptions during the month of late June, July, and August, when female gators are protecting their young.
During the nesting season, Gilbert had an encounter directed toward his vehicle once and another toward a bulldozer he was operating. But again he was encroaching in their world and most likely with a female gator acting naturally.
Their diets consist of small reptiles, birds, fish and, unfortunately, domestic pets that venture too close.
