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Got a 'gator in the garden, and don't want him there? Then call Todd Hardwick.
Hardwick, 40, is one of Florida's three dozen licensed alligator trappers. When worried citizens call state officials to report a nuisance alligator, the state calls on experienced trappers like Hardwick to size up the situation and recommend whether the big lizard should stay, go, or, in some cases, be killed. In 2001, Floridians phoned in 17,000 alligator reports, resulting in the relocation or deaths of more than 5,000 alligators. Under state rules, problem alligators smaller than 4 feet long are typically moved into one of the state's preserves, but bigger animals may have to be killed.
As Part 1 of NATURE'S "The Reptiles" series shows, Hardwick's
job requires equal measures wildlife biology, teaching skill, and brute force.
Sometimes, he simply needs to educate a frightened homeowner about alligator habits.
Hardwick runs a successful business called Pesky Critters that responds to hundreds of calls a year on everything from problem possums to marauding monkeys. Some of his captures have ended up on his spacious 7-acre farm, which often holds 100 animals or more and sponsors educational programs. Hardwick recently chatted with NATURE in between calls for help.
How did you get involved in this business?
I'm a native Floridian and growing up, I spent my time running around vacant land catching and watching animals. I didn't want to go to the mall and play Pac-man. I even learned how to catch small alligators. By the time I was in high school, I was catching problem animals in exchange for movie and pizza tickets.
I got a lot of ridicule. People would ask me: "What kind of a job is possum catcher?" I thought it could a good one. Increasing human population was causing loss of habitat, and when there are more people and less habitat there are going to be conflicts. Most people aren't very good in hand-to-hand combat with an opposum. So I've been doing it for 22 years now, and have captured tens of thousands of animals. It's not a job for me, it's a lifestyle.
Where do alligators fit in?
Well, [catching nuisance] raccoons and opossums is the bulk of my business. But from April to July, I pretty much run around chasing alligators. During those four months, it is just crazy because it's alligator breeding season. The weather warms and they become very active, and start looking for romance in all the wrong places. I'll have 50 to 75 complaints at a time in my territory, which stretches 220 miles from Fort Lauderdale to Key West. And it just keeps getting busier.
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