Keepers at the Australian Reptile Park undertook a highly dangerous alligator nest raid in the alligator lagoon on Christmas Day.
Home to over 40 adult American alligators, the process is considered extremely dangerous and keeps the hearts of staff racing.
Irene the female alligator laid her eggs on Christmas morning with staff unveiling a clutch of 45 eggs.
Operations Manager Billy Collett said staff responded to a phone call alerting them to the births.
“After getting myself ready to relax on Christmas Day with the family, there was nothing to get my heart racing like my team calling me up (to say) Irene had laid her eggs,” he said.
“I raced up to collect them with the team; I just had to be there.
“It was my favourite Christmas present I got this year – nothing gets the heart racing like nest raids.
“We do this every year and all of the keepers love getting muddy and helping save the baby alligators from what could be a potentially dangerous situation with Australia’s anticipated hot summer, and larger cannibalistic adult alligators.”
The nest raiding process involves keepers wrangling the female alligators, restraining them and safely removing their eggs from the nest.
The mothers are in a high maternal state and keen to guard their eggs, making them very aggressive, while the males are defensive over the females during breeding season.
The nest raid aims to protect the American alligator eggs, native to the US southeast, from Australia’s impending hot summer.
Due to the risk of temperatures exceeding 40°C, the eggs, relocated for preservation, will undergo artificial incubation, with their sex determined by the incubation temperature, ensuring their survival.
“One slightly off step out of place can cost you, so we are very careful to follow a well-thought-out plan and ensure the protective mother is well restrained and doing okay herself,” Collett said.
“Once we let her go, we also monitor her for the rest of the day.
“With the amount of females sitting on nests, it looks like it will be a busy summer for the reptile team.”
The Australian Reptile Park has the largest population of American alligators living in Australia and visitors can catch them being fed during the summer school holidays at 12.30pm daily.
In the wild, American alligators guard their eggs until they hatch, then gently dig the hatchlings out, take them in her mouth to the water and protecting them while they grow and learn survival skills.
The biggest threat to a baby alligator is another alligator, as the species is cannibalistic – which is another reason why staff remove the eggs from the lagoon, which is home to more than 40 adult alligators.