Ireceived the following questions from students in a conservation class at North Carolina State University.

Q. What is the most significant change you've observed in the way people perceive alligators and other reptiles now versus when you began your career?

A. When I first became interested in herpetology as a kid, alligators had declined because of overhunting for pelts and gator meat to the point that they were a rarity in most parts of their range. I did not see an alligator in the wild until I was in graduate school, although I lived in Alabama and Louisiana, where they are native.

Most people probably thought of them as exotic creatures that could be found in Florida wildlife preserves or purchased as babies at roadside stands. People were complacent about their being killed at ra

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