The Swamp People of Louisiana.0:15
Deep down south in In the state of Louisiana, USA, stretches the muddy Atchafalaya Swamp.0:19
It is a difficult place to live.0:36
The air is thick with moisture, making you sweat constantly, and you are surrounded by snakes, frogs, turtles, and wild alligators—1.5 million of them!0:39
However, the Swamp People have lived a laid-back life along the river here for more than 300 years.0:52
They are Cajuns, descendants of French exiles who were taken from Canada in the 18th century.1:00
In their stilt houses above the marshes, they grow their own vegetables, such as okra and black-eyed peas.1:08
But amazingly, their diet also includes alligators, frogs, and turtles.1:17
It's a slow way of life, except during the alligator hunting season.1:23
The 30-day Alligator Hunt takes place in September.1:28
Traveling the waterways in their boats, hunters try to spot alligators under the water.1:33
They then throw out lines with rotten meat hooked onto them to attract the reptiles.1:40
When they've caught a gator, the hunters pull it in by hand.1:47
They have to be very careful and predict alligator movements.1:52
The animals can easily do a death roll in the water when they spin wildly.1:56
Despite the danger, the Cajuns catch over 30,000 wild alligators during this season.2:02
One alligator hunter, Troy Landry, known as King of the Swamp, once caught 82 alligators in one day.2:09
However, he has enormous respect for the reptiles.2:19
In fact, the Swamp People worked with authorities to protect alligators after they almost became extinct in the 1920s when their skins were fashionable.2:23
Now, too many alligators upset the balance of the ecosystem, so authorities let hunters catch some alligators each season.2:35
They give each hunter tags restricting the number of alligators they can hunt in order to sell their meat and skins.2:45
The community is facing some problems, however.2:53
Prices for skins are always changing, which means the hunters have to look for other work, such as catching shrimp and giving alligator-spotting trips.2:57
Клик по слову — перевод и «+ в мои слова» (в любом режиме). Клик по строке или таймкоду — перейти к этому месту записи.