The Swamp People of Louisiana.0:19
Deep down south in the state of Louisiana, U.S.A., USA stretches the muddy Atchafalaya Swamp.0:29
For many, it is a difficult place to live.0:37
The air is thick with moisture, making you sweat constantly, and you are surrounded by snakes, frogs, turtles, and wild alligators—all 1.5 million of them!0:41
However, the Swamp People have lived a laid-back life along the river here for more than 300 years.0:55
They are Cajuns, descendants of French refugees who moved here from Canada in the 18th century.1:03
In their stilt houses above the marshes, they grow their own vegetables such as okra and black-eyed peas, but amazingly their diet also includes alligators, frogs, and turtles.1:12
It's a slow pace of life, except during the alligator hunting season.1:28
The 30-day Alligator Hunt takes place in September.1:34
Traveling the waterways in their boats, hunters try to spot alligators under the water.1:38
They then throw out lines with rotten meat hooked onto them to attract the reptiles.1:45
When they've caught a gator, The hunters pull it in by hand.1:52
They have to be very careful and predict alligator movements.1:57
They can easily do a death roll in the water when they spin wildly.2:01
Despite the danger, the Cajuns catch over 30,000 wild alligators during this season.2:07
One alligator hunter, Troy Landry, known as King of the Swamp, once caught 82 alligators in one day.2:15
However, he has enormous respect for the reptiles.2:24
In fact, the Swamp People worked with authorities to protect alligators after they almost became extinct in the 1920s, when their skins were fashionable.2:29
Now, too many alligators upset the balance of the ecosystem.2:41
So authorities let hunters catch some alligators each season.2:46
They give each hunter tags restricting the number of alligators they can hunt in order to sell their meat and skins.2:52
The community is facing some problems, however.3:01
Prices for skins are always changing, which means the hunters have to look for other work, such as catching shrimp and giving alligator tours.3:06
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