I love alligators. Their population comeback is one of the great success stories of Florida conservation. They are an ancient and modern-day inspiration. https://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/alligator.pdf
The video I am sharing today was filmed by the late Dr. Dale Hipson. Born and raised in Stuart, Dr Hipson was an avid wildlife lover, and very involved at the Stuart Heritage Museum. http://www.stuartheritagemuseum.com
Through the help of my mother, Dale’s family, and the community, I share one of Dr Hipson’s most famous videos from 2006 filming what seems to be hundreds of alligators marching across Powerline Road in the Dupuis Wildlife Area. I recall asking Dr Hipson why they were all crossing the road. “They are seeking more water,” he said, “levels change abruptly all the time.”
In the video, Dr Hipson and Shirley Corley’s “amazements” can be heard in the background. The video is quite delightful, even funny at times, and deserves to be reintroduced to the public. I know you will enjoy it.
Go Gators!
(video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRbOjKbbfk0)
Dupuis, FWC: http://www.myfwc.com/viewing/recreation/wmas/cooperative/dupuis
*Thank you to Treasure Coast Multi-Media for transferring the original VHS to digital formant!http://tcmultimedia.net
I saw Dr. Hipson’s video a few years ago. I sat in awe watching those gators cross the road. I’d like it set to the music Baby Elephant Walk by Mancini!
I will look up Mancini! Great Tara. Thank you!
Python vs Florida gator—- I would say it is obvious who is winning
Unfortunately
Native Florida gator wins over invasive species python is a good thing
Dear Anonymous, yes the gator winning in a python gator fight certainly is best! What I meant by “unfortunately” is that many experts now consider the python the Everglades’ top predator. It is a great loss and a lesson on how humans drastically change things with poor decisions and little thought….This video shows and talks about this:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aJFfmqGUb4c
Thank you for your input and for reading my blog.
Jacqui
Its me —Brent . Social behaviors like hunting in packs and mama gators protecting their young is what will keep python populations in check. I stay busy every day now bringing back what I believe is the most important creature in the lagoon. Its a little tube worm that makes its home by weaving macroalgie in with coquina shells.
Up here they let the lagoon die by not completing the cycle and causeing a fish kill. Now they have voted for the same people responsable for the fish kill to get 300 million to fix the lagoon. I believe they then borrowed another 300 million so they could have ALL the money right now instead of over a 10 year period. If you scuba dive on a week end the sound of boat motors underwater (even miles away) is nerve racking. When they dredged turkey creek 5 manitees died . I believe the underwater sonic noise was too much for them to bear. Now with all this money we have an army of “RESEARCHERS” running up and down the lagoon chopping up manitees and everything else, turning the peacefull weekdays into hell underwater. Now these “RESEARCHERS” are about to give themselves a reportcard telling what a success they are.. The people running the show up here are another example of poor decisions with little thought. However they are predictable—-when the money is all gone I am sure they will say the reason the lagoon is still dead is they did not get enough money
Down there it is obvious they have dumped fine calcium sand in Lake O. and created a massive algie bloom. When a tropical storm brings torential rains and forces the army corps. to release water it will look like they are dumping contaminated water with algie all over Stuart . This will strong arm our state government into wasting billions to destroy our farmers and turn their farmland into swamp. I think things are about the same down there as they are up here. Once again—thank you for letting me tell it like it is.
Facebook comments51 Tara Powers, Peggy Juntilla and 49 others
20 shares
Comments
Lawrence Ross
Lawrence Ross cool.
Like · Reply · August 3 at 11:15am
Manage
Linda McLendon
Linda McLendon Renetta Phillippi – more lizards — lol
Like · Reply · 2 · August 3 at 11:21am
Manage
Becky Smith Bruner
Becky Smith Bruner Amazing numbers.
Like · Reply · 2 · August 3 at 11:53am
Manage
Sarah Wonnell
Sarah Wonnell Awesome Jacqui ! Thank you for sharing! Loved Dr. Hipson !
Like · Reply · 2 · August 3 at 12:29pm
Manage
Don Armstrong
Don Armstrong A gator about this size crossed the yard of our house on Palm Beach Road in the early 1960s, going from one pond to another.
Like · Reply · 2 · August 3 at 12:30pm
Manage
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch Must have been exciting!
Like · Reply · 1 · August 3 at 12:32pm
Manage
Joyce Chartier
Joyce Chartier During the drought this spring I saw probably 100 gators in the Withlacoochie while out in the boat one day.
Like · Reply · 2 · August 3 at 12:35pm
Manage
Sarah Wonnell
Sarah Wonnell One creature Dr. Hipson did not like was the rat! I was in the chair and spotted a rat in his bird feeder, he said “wait a minute”, got his pellet gun, cranked open the bottom window quietly and shot it – then put the gun up, said thank you and went back working on my teeth- he was the best!
Like · Reply · 2 · August 3 at 12:36pm
Manage
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch 😵
Like · Reply · August 3 at 10:40pm
Manage
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Write a reply…
Heidi H. Cody
Heidi H. Cody I am so happy Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch and her mom Sandra Thurlow made this possible ❤️ My dad loved nature and was always filming it. I MISS him SO much but to have his CD’s out there makes me so proud of him❤️ He truly was one of a kind, a true gentleman right up to the end 🙏
Like · Reply · 6 · August 3 at 1:33pm
Manage
Heidi H. Cody replied · 6 Replies
Julie Witham Hartwiger
Julie Witham Hartwiger · 19 mutual friends
This videos is AMAZING!!!!🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊 just AMAZING!!!!
Like · Reply · 3 · August 3 at 2:58pm
Manage
Peter Hartman
Peter Hartman · 35 mutual friends
Thanks for sharing Jackie ! and GO GATORS !
Like · Reply · 2 · August 3 at 4:49pm
Manage
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch replied · 1 Reply
Jeanne Emerick
Jeanne Emerick That was great Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch! Where were they going? So many gators! What a thrill it was to watch and listen to Dr Hipson narrate this little gator crossing!
Thanks for sharing. 🐊
Like · Reply · 1 · August 4 at 9:26pm
Manage
Heidi H. Cody replied · 1 Reply
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Write a comment…