Here Osceola the 7′, 150lb, 15 year old female American Alligator follows one command. She is trained to go forward with gentle pressure on her neck and sides, and to get up out of the pond by tapping the base of her tail, along with my voice commands. This allows me shift her to the other pond in her enclosure and allows me to maintain the water quality and clean in there without having to handle her and drag her out.

This was shot during her feeding time, (she had her rations of cut goat with bone in before I dragged out the camera) and the big stick is a target for her. The tapping I was doing and calling her to come forward is how I get her into the “zone” to feed her. You can see her go through the motions of “eating” the food that was supposed to be at the end of that stick in her mind! (don’t worry, as you can see from her belly, she has had plenty to eat!) – sorry for qality, I know I need a new and better camera!