Feeding Alligators

Hello friends and family! Who isn’t interested in what lies within swamps, right? Especially the backwaters and bayous of Louisiana.

As we rolled into Gibson, LA we passed a sign that read “Cajun Man Swamp Tours” and immediately knew we were going to check it out. We checked the weather and called to reserve our spot on a 30-ft long covered boat!

Our ride was narrated by Captain Billy Gaston, an accomplished alligator hunter. His Cajun accent was so strong, sometimes we couldn’t quite make out what he was saying – but he was funny! 😊

We learned about the cypress trees that make up the swamps. Did you know that because they are continually standing in water cypress tree roots consist of things called “knees” that grow up beside the tree and are thought to bring air to the tree?

For whatever reason I found this to be an interesting environmental tidbit LOL!

Floating along in the swamp, we saw numerous bald eagles and water birds – not to mention gorgeous scenery.

In this pic, you can see pink eggs from the apple snail (which is about the size of my fist). Apple snails are highly invasive. Fortunately, limpkin birds were introduced to the area that eat the snails. Limpkins have a very distinct sound, almost like a cry – hence they are sometimes called crying birds. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a pic of a limpkin. 😒

See the HUGE bald eagle nest behind us high up in the tree??

But the main attraction were the alligators! We kept our eyes peeled but only managed to see a few small ones along the bank before they slipped into the water. The Captain reassured us we WOULD see some because he has a few that recognize his boat and voice and will approach the boat. Say wwwhhhaaattt? Needless to say, I began to be more diligent in keeping my arms and hands inside.

Sure enough, as we pulled into one bayou, the Captain began calling for Boudreaux and Thibodaux. Within a few seconds, Boudreaux came swimming right to us! (I knew it was Boudreaux because the Captain had mentioned he had some injuries that were clearly visible.) Then we saw Thibodaux appear on the other side of the boat. Captain asked who wanted to feed an alligator and was met with nervous laughter. However, after a little boy on the boat did it once and SURVIVED, all of us adults determined we should give it a try. 😊

The alligators would almost wag their tails as they jumped up to get the chicken. In telling our daughter about the adventure, I mentioned that they were almost cute. To which she replied that we really should consider getting a dog LOL!

All told, we were out on the swamp for a little over two hours. If you’re ever in the area of Thibodaux or Houma, we would strongly recommend hitting up Cajun Man Swamp Tours!

www.cajunmanadventures.com

Thanks for reading!! Hope everyone is happy, safe, and healthy!