Photo Fiona Sunquist ©

Alligators are also being farmed and ranched on a large scale in Florida and Louisiana. In Florida, alligator farming has a $25 million dollar impact on the state’s economy.

There are currently more than 350,000 gators on about 150 farms and ranches, and captive breeding produces some 20,000 hatchlings annually – about 10% of production. Gatorama in south Florida is one of the best alligator ranches that is also open to the public.

Controlled egg collection from the wild provides additional eggs to ranches. (It is considered to be ranching when wild stock is used and regarded as farming when only captive raised stock is used.)

Long-term studies have shown that alligator populations remain stable, even when up to 50% of located nests are collected for ranching.

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