Thanks for the lesson on otters (and alligators). I always thought the river otters we have in Central Illinois were so cute and smart. Now I'll be leary of them. No worries about gators in our neck-o-the-woods - but don't tangle with an otter......
I know your family loves their retreats to the Floridian river paradise, but I didn’t realize the diversity of wildlife down there. I have had only one experience with river otters and one experience with an alligator. Your great-uncle released river otters in central Illinois to re-introduce what had been a native species whose populations were decimated by habitat destruction and hunting. As a wildlife biologist, he was charged with holding onto six or so river otters that he was transporting in his state truck. I can’t recall what exactly the enclosures were (maybe big pet taxis), but those river otters sounded downright evil in the back of his enclosed bed. They hissed like little demons, not that anyone could blame them. They were not cute and fun loving in that environment. The alligator, on the other hand, was one we stumbled upon, practically, on some island park we visited many years ago in Florida. We were walking on a nature path and noticed it resting just a couple of feet away from us. It was startling to us, to say the least, but it had no interest in us. I will say there was signage warning of gators, and I was thrilled (and a little scared) to encounter one so close. Thanks for sharing your wonderful observations and, as always, I love your writing!
Wow, that’s so cool! Thanks for sharing your stories, Tina. I had no idea that Darryl was part of the effort to reintroduce otters in places they went locally extinct. I can’t imagine the stress of being responsible for transporting six angry otters, but his work certainly paid off. Now otter populations are doing quite well in Illinois. 😊
Once agin a fabulous read.I love watching shows about otters so this was really interesting and I see several kinds of herons at the pond I visit .I love watching them fish.Thanks for sharing your adventures.Love aunt Jeannie
I loved your article. It paints such a vivid picture of life on the Rainbow River. The interactions of the ducks and the gators are intriguing. Thanks for sharing your love of nature.
Thanks for the lesson on otters (and alligators). I always thought the river otters we have in Central Illinois were so cute and smart. Now I'll be leary of them. No worries about gators in our neck-o-the-woods - but don't tangle with an otter......
I know your family loves their retreats to the Floridian river paradise, but I didn’t realize the diversity of wildlife down there. I have had only one experience with river otters and one experience with an alligator. Your great-uncle released river otters in central Illinois to re-introduce what had been a native species whose populations were decimated by habitat destruction and hunting. As a wildlife biologist, he was charged with holding onto six or so river otters that he was transporting in his state truck. I can’t recall what exactly the enclosures were (maybe big pet taxis), but those river otters sounded downright evil in the back of his enclosed bed. They hissed like little demons, not that anyone could blame them. They were not cute and fun loving in that environment. The alligator, on the other hand, was one we stumbled upon, practically, on some island park we visited many years ago in Florida. We were walking on a nature path and noticed it resting just a couple of feet away from us. It was startling to us, to say the least, but it had no interest in us. I will say there was signage warning of gators, and I was thrilled (and a little scared) to encounter one so close. Thanks for sharing your wonderful observations and, as always, I love your writing!
Wow, that’s so cool! Thanks for sharing your stories, Tina. I had no idea that Darryl was part of the effort to reintroduce otters in places they went locally extinct. I can’t imagine the stress of being responsible for transporting six angry otters, but his work certainly paid off. Now otter populations are doing quite well in Illinois. 😊
Once agin a fabulous read.I love watching shows about otters so this was really interesting and I see several kinds of herons at the pond I visit .I love watching them fish.Thanks for sharing your adventures.Love aunt Jeannie
Thanks for reading, Aunt Jeannie 😊 I love watching the herons fish too! Their patience and stealth is amazing.
I loved your article. It paints such a vivid picture of life on the Rainbow River. The interactions of the ducks and the gators are intriguing. Thanks for sharing your love of nature.
Thanks for reading, Grandma ❤️