Land Of A Million Stereotypes

Louisiana natives are very sensitive when it comes to that old stereotype of us being dumb, alligator-wrestling, dip spitting rednecks. People seem to think that we ride pirogues to work every day just to pay for the food to sustain our pet gators.

But, sometimes (most times) we perpetuate those same stereotypes. For instance, my Mom, a social worker, was at a conference for the day – at a casino. Yes, a work day at a casino/hotel. It just so happens to be one of the better hotels in the region, so they hold conferences there. God Bless Louisiana.

Mom wanted me to meet her there for lunch. I hadn’t visited this particular casino in a while and they had renovated part of it and opened a new hotel since my last trip home. The sliding glass doors zip open and I stroll right into a living, breathing stereotype. Right in the middle of the hotel lobby were about two dozen living alligators.

No wonder people think we worship the scaly-skinned reptiles. We have a gang of them planted right smack in the middle of the quintessential “nice” hotel in Central Louisiana. Their habitat is surrounded by the hotel shops and restaurants.

With that said, I couldn’t help but take these pictures and sit and stare at them for about 30 minutes. They aren’t a bad idea and they are surely buzz-worthy. They even have gator shows every Saturday – inside the hotel lobby. I’m serious, that’s no joke. A wrangler brings out raw chicken and feeds the beasts in front of hotel patrons.

Welcome to Louisiana – land of a million true-to-life stereotypes.

Giant Gators

It was one year ago today, that a 600 pound alligator attacked a man at Lake Moultrie. The man was lucky, he survived, but he lost his arm in the horrific and bloody attack.

I remember interviewing his son after the attack. I asked the son about his thoughts on gator hunting in the state. At the time, there was a huge debate about enacting the first hunting season in decades. The man and his family said they love nature and didn’t blame the creature.

Well here we are a year later and gator hunting season is a reality. Saturday marked the first day of gator season in South Carolina. One of the first big bags came from a guy in Summerville – and this thing is a monster.

After hooking the gargantuan 12-foot gator, Mark Merting fought for 3 and a half hours before bringing it in.

Merting snagged this beast in the same lake as the attacking gator from last year. I for one will never swim in Lake Moultrie after seeing these pictures.

Here are a few more pictures from the original gator attack. I just want to warn you that they are extremely graphic. They show the arm in the gator’s mouth and that appendage being removed from the animal’s stomach.

Picture 1

Picture 2

You can see even more pictures at Corday Taxidermy's website.

Here are a few of the most impressive.