Animal Diaries Archive

Alligator Training

5 November 2004

Wooo-hoo! We have had some extremely busy days over the school holidays with thousands of people from all over Australia and the rest of the world visiting Australia Zoo.

On a roving update a few of us have started alligator training! It's not as easy as grabbing an alligator and going out in public there is a lot of training that is involved. There are four steps that are required for the training.

Step One: Identification. This is to ensure that we can account for all the alligators and that we, know who we have roved thoughout the day. Knowing/learning what time limits we have whilst out with them.

Step Two: Getting to know the alligators. We do this through our voices, touch and smell. (Please visualise us walking around there enclosure with gumboots on signing/talking to our alligators!)

Step Three: Handling/Catching/Restraint methods. It is important that we have full control throughout the process of catching the alligators in there enclosure and handling them in public.

Step Four: History. We have to know some common facts about our alligators to answer as many questions as we can for the public. For example: when and where they hatched, how many teeth they have, what they eat, and where they come from.

So after we practice all these things we are ready to rove the alligators. So until next time "SEE YOU LATER ALLIGATOR"!

Roving Michelle