DRUMROLL PLEASE ..

Allow me to Introduce to you 'Tude, the baby Gator I first encountered on Mother's Day on a walk with Emmylou. I caught a glimpse of a tiny head and tail in the middle of the same little pond I met my Cyclops Gator in some 7 years ago. Of course, no camera, no pics. My first thought was Whoa! That baby is too small to be out alone so I took a wide birth back home with Ems. I made many solo excursions circumventing the entire habitat at differing times with no luck spotting Mama. I saw no prints or tail drags in the mud or slides indicating an adult was on the premises. I contacted Frank Robb, Alligator Researcher and Conservationist / Educator from Florida and he reassured me that an 18 / 20 inch Gator was about 3 years old and perfectly capable of surviving in the wild on its own. Babies only stay with their Moms for about 2 years. Alligators are the only Reptiles that fiercely protect, defend and care for their young, giving them quite an evolutionary advantage in my opinion.​

Emmylou was in her enclosure for some fresh air and enrichment when I heard her alert me to something different. I'll let the Video say the rest. As soon as I spotted the problem I ran to get my phone ...SOUND UP!

The rest of the scene unfolding underneath the boat shelter yesterday... Pinky and Hazel were in the backyard with only Pink barking .SOUND UP!

I only took a few shots as the little was stressed and hissing. I rounded up the pups and got them in the house and things quieted after a few minutes. I went out later to find the baby underneath a boat, no longer in a corner. It had relaxed slightly, mouth no longer gaping and not hissing. Emmylou had hushed herself but Pinky was still cranked up indoors. Long story short the next time I saw my new friend it was safely swimming in its pond. Moral of the story: If you spot an Alligator in your yard please just leave it alone. It doesn't want to stay on terra firma, it will return to the water or a different pond. It doesn't want to be around people or barking dogs.
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Of course, contain your animals (or children) if a Gator is spotted, even if it's a little one. I am so Grateful for my encounter yesterday as it filled my heart. I hope I will be able to observe this baby grow to adulthood like I did my baby Cyclops who is now over 6 feet even with a bitten off tail tip from an encounter with another female a few years back. Remember only 2 to 3 % of Alligators survive to adulthood. This baby is still endangered by predatory Great Blue Herons which stalk the pond edges, automobile and human encounters and cannibalistic predation by larger Gators. The odds are definitely against it. This baby is the Lone surviving juvenile from a clutch of probably 35 eggs laid by a female 3 summers ago. If you are lucky enough to see an Alligator in the wild, take a moment to marvel at its adaptability and instincts to survive. We can indeed live in harmony with and learn from these creatures which have a much better survival track record than we do if we just step back and let them be.