A Skins Game?

The recession has put the kabosh on sales of many high end items, including alligator skin handbags, purses, shoes and watchbands. As a result, gators have less to fear from humans, according to an AP report found in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Alligator farmers are expected to cull about 30,000 eggs this year, down from a half million in the not too distant past.

In addition, wildlife officials anticipate the harvest of live gators to also be significantly down. "Nobody's buying," said Ron Guy, Rapide Parish's (in New Orleans) alligator control officer. He's the guy you call if a gator happens to wander onto a golf course or your lawn. His reward for rounding up the guy has traditionally been the right to sell the skins.

In 2007, the sale of gator skins reaped $71 million for Louisiana's alligator farmers. This year, revenue is expected to be closer to $10 million.

Many find the entire practice of harvesting and selling alligators for their skins to be completely inhumane but the fact of the matter is that it is a tightly regulated industry. And while I, for one, would never wear alligator shoes, I also would not be too thrilled if a population explosion sent the source of those shoes wandering across my backyard. Alligators are a legitimate threat to people and while I don't believe they should have to sacrifice their hides for our vanity, I also don't think I'd like to wrangle with one in my pool.

It should be interesting to see whether the recession ultimately ends up being good or bad for the alligator. It may turn out that more are actually killed when their presence becomes dangerous. Not a good reason to buy that watchband, but an interesting side light to our purchasing habits.