Ha! I read a murder mystery list, on it an author asked whether someone
could fake an alligator bite. It was for a story he was writing. Fake the
bite with a pair of old alligaor jaws. So I (holder of infinite knowledge
that I am) emailed him that I thought alligators were protected by the EPA,
ESA and probably even CITES (were one to try to export one across
international borders) that one couldn't get an alligator skull these days.
He wrote back that there are many for sale on eBay. Less than $10.

I'm floored. In a world where people go to jail for their orchids. Where Al
and other vendors are trying to figure out how to keep their orchids legal,
alligator skulls are sold on eBay for less than $10. Alligators were one of
the animals the ESA was designed to protect, no?

Ironic.

K Barrett

K Barrett wrote:
Ha! ....

You need to keep with things in gatorland. It is now legal to hunt
gators in several states. They're all over Florida and Louisiana.
They haven't been a federally listed endangered species since 1987.

J. Del Col

The CITES restriction on international trade in gator hides still
applies. The only valuable part of a gator is the hide, but if the
hide is properly tagged to show it was legally taken, there's no
problem in possessing it.

Have you heard the expression "Hip deep in alligators?" That's what a
lot of Florida and Louisiana are like these days---lots and lots of
really big, nasty reptiles. Their endangered status is a thing of the
past. In fact, they've become the focus of a guided hunt business in
several states, including GA, FL and LA. Florida recently lengthened
its gator hunting season after some careless folks became gatorchow.
One attack (non-fatal) happened a couple of miles from my mother's
house in Apopka, and gators have moved into ponds on the golf course
her house faces.

J. Del Col

wrote:
The CITES restriction on international trade in gator hides still
applies. The only valuable part of a gator is the hide, but if the
hide is properly tagged to show it was legally taken, there's no
problem in possessing it.

Have you heard the expression "Hip deep in alligators?" That's what a
lot of Florida and Louisiana are like these days---lots and lots of
really big, nasty reptiles. ...


That should be "That's what a lot of Fl and LA is like these days.... "


Mea culpa.

J. Del Col

Have you heard the expression "Hip deep in alligators?" That's what a
lot of Florida and Louisiana are like these days---lots and lots of
really big, nasty reptiles. ...

He said bitingly............

Diana

wrote in message
ups.com...

wrote:
The CITES restriction on international trade in gator hides still
applies. The only valuable part of a gator is the hide, but if the
hide is properly tagged to show it was legally taken, there's no
problem in possessing it.

Have you heard the expression "Hip deep in alligators?" That's what a
lot of Florida and Louisiana are like these days---lots and lots of
really big, nasty reptiles. ...


That should be "That's what a lot of Fl and LA is like these days.... "


Mea culpa.

J. Del Col


Yeah, I googled this further and see where the Feds say they'll keep an eye
on trade in gators in case someone tries to pass off a (still endangered)
croc as a gator, http://www.fws.gov/endangered/i/C0O.html but for the life
of me I can't see where anyone selling gator heads on eBay or over the
internet says *anything* about having the proper permits to sell their gator
heads. It ain't on their tag or receipt, I'll bet *G*! Which then makes me
wonder about the nature of this enforcement. Is it complaint driven? If
someone complains you are selling crocs then the Feds will swoop down? But
the croc would already be dead... so it doesn't save the croc anyway.
Weird.

And we worry so much about the Antec Paphs. (Oooh! Do you have the proper
documents in order to show the plant at an AOS show?)

To quote from Dr Strangelove "What a load of commie bull."

Maybe an alligator could eat an Antec paph...

OK, my fillings are picking up radiowaves from PLANET Pluto, so I'll shut up
now.

K Barrett

Everything JD has written is too true. One addition, though. The hide is not
the only valuable part of these critters. You can find the meat on menus
quite regularly. I eat just about anything, but I don't care for gator meat.
Chewy and tasteless, IMNSHO.

Diana

Diana Kulaga wrote:
Everything JD has written is too true. One addition, though. The hide is not
the only valuable part of these critters. You can find the meat on menus
quite regularly. I eat just about anything, but I don't care for gator meat.
Chewy and tasteless, IMNSHO.


Yeah, I tried some a while back. It does -not- taste like chicken,
well, maybe like fishy, very chewy poultry of some kind.

J. Del Col

OK, my fillings are picking up radiowaves from PLANET Pluto, so I'll shut
up now.

Cue Al, enter right.......

Diana

Oh, is THAT what it was? A filling vibrator? I'm just this minute back
from Plutito where I cut it's blue wire and made it stop. Your fillings
should soon cease their vibrating. Seems like an awful waste of plutonium
just to make fillings vibrate. But I suppose I should phone home and let
them know they can cancel the "peace keeping force" before it is too
late....

....don't ask. Go collect your Alligator heads. You may need them sooner
than you think.

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
. ..
OK, my fillings are picking up radiowaves from PLANET Pluto, so I'll shut
up now.

Cue Al, enter right.......

Diana

K Barrett wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...

wrote:
The CITES restriction on international trade in gator hides still
applies. The only valuable part of a gator is the hide, but if the
hide is properly tagged to show it was legally taken, there's no
problem in possessing it.
Maybe an alligator could eat an Antec paph...

OK, my fillings are picking up radiowaves from PLANET Pluto, so I'll shut up
now.

K Barrett

There are areas where they are farmed. Raised for meat and skins.
Most of the meat is in the tail.

I think they stopped being protected when they started coming up onto
peoples porches and carrying off the poodles. They did kill one
alligator a few years back that had a couple of dog collars
(undigested) with traceable tags to local pets. Now they know where
Fido went and have closure.

When I was in training in the south, one of the drivers' warnings was
to stay in the vehicle if I hit a 'gator or wild pig and the vehicle
was disabled. All it does is **** them off, and there had been drivers
attacked while inspecting damage to their vehicle after hitting the
above. If the vehicle was not disabled just keep driving. They didn't
have to tell me twice.

Forget having theem eat Antec orchids, teach them to eat CITES
inspectors.

Nancy

Yeah, I wasn't about to fall for the "it tastes like greasy chicken" story
people were telling me about guinea pig (cuy) in Peru this time around.
*shudder* It doesn't help that they are served on their backs with their
legs splayed out and sticking up.

I had to be browbeat into trying anticucho - marinated slices of beef heart
on skewers that are then grilled. It was OK, not something I would order
again, though.

-Eric in SF
www.orchidphotos.org

wrote in message
oups.com...
Yeah, I tried some a while back. It does -not- taste like chicken,
well, maybe like fishy, very chewy poultry of some kind.

K Barrett wrote:
..

And we worry so much about the Antec Paphs. (Oooh! Do you have the proper
documents in order to show the plant at an AOS show?)

To quote from Dr Strangelove "What a load of commie bull."

Maybe an alligator could eat an Antec paph...

OK, my fillings are picking up radiowaves from PLANET Pluto, so I'll shut up
now.


If your tinfoil hat is shiny side out, it should be able to deflect the
plutonic waves.

Obligatory quotes from --Dr. Strangelove-- "Gentlemen, you can't fight
in here! This is the War Room!"

"Have you ever seen a commie drink water, Mandrake?"

J. Del Col

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:23:51 -0700 in K Barrett wrote:
Ha! I read a murder mystery list, on it an author asked whether someone
could fake an alligator bite. It was for a story he was writing. Fake the
bite with a pair of old alligaor jaws. So I (holder of infinite knowledge
that I am) emailed him that I thought alligators were protected by the EPA,
ESA and probably even CITES (were one to try to export one across
international borders) that one couldn't get an alligator skull these days.
He wrote back that there are many for sale on eBay. Less than $10.

I'm floored. In a world where people go to jail for their orchids. Where Al
and other vendors are trying to figure out how to keep their orchids legal,
alligator skulls are sold on eBay for less than $10. Alligators were one of
the animals the ESA was designed to protect, no?

I've never heard of putting down a nuisance orchid...


--
Chris Dukes
elfick willg: you can't use dell to beat people, it wouldn't stand up
to the strain... much like attacking a tank with a wiffle bat

I've never heard of putting down a nuisance orchid...

I've got one on the patio that's cruisin' for it...

Diana