The Alligator and Louisiana History

June 6, 2017

5 Things You Didn’t Know About the History of Louisiana Alligators

  1. In the 1800s, people in Louisiana began harvesting alligators for their skins to make boots, shoes and saddles, and for their oil to grease cotton mills and steam engines.

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  1. Companies in New York, New Jersey and Europe began commercially tanning Louisiana alligator skins to make the skins softer, more durable and more flexible.

  1. In the mid 1900s, the alligator population in Louisiana began to dwindle. In 1962, the Louisiana seasonal alligator hunting season was cancelled due to the reduction in alligator population.

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  1. With correct hunting management, Louisiana raised the alligator population and reopened hunting season.

  1. Louisiana’s alligator harvests now exceed 300,000 alligators per year.

There is no end to the number of things you can learn in a Louisiana swamp. Alligators are a source of fascination for people, both locally and internationally. We’ve been pleasantly surprised to find out that so many people really do want to learn more about Louisiana alligators.