Gator Country
Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades
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4.0 • 15 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A New York Times Editors' Choice
"Delivers everything its title promises and much more." - NPR
"Remarkable... Every species, and every person who fights for its continued existence, deserves a book like this." — The New York Times
"This nail-biter account has the intensity of the best true crime... A high-def tale that ensnares you from the start." —People
David Grann meets Susan Orlean in this page-turning true story of an underground operation into the mysterious world of alligator poaching and its larger than life Floridian characters
To catch a Florida Man, you have to become one, and that’s what Officer Jeff Babauta did. As his ponytailed, whiskey-soaked alter ego, he established Sunshine Alligator Farm. His goal? Infiltrate the shady world of illegal poachers in the Florida Everglades in order to protect the natural world.
A head-spinning adventure soon unfolds. Jeff deals with glow-in-the-dark alligators and high-speed airboat rides, but quickly learns that not all poachers are villains. They’re simply people trying to survive, fighting against the poverty and greed holding them down. Jeff wants to solve the mystery of alligator poachers, and in doing so he must venture deeper into a strange ecosystem where right is wrong, and justice comes at the cost of those who’ve welcomed him into their world.
Gator Country is the twisting true story of the impossible choices individuals must make to stay afloat in this world. Through its wholly unique blend of reporting, nature writing, and personal narrative, this book transports readers to vibrant and dangerous Florida landscapes and offers intimate portraits of those who call the region home. Broad in scope and vivid in detail, Gator Country is a fast paced tale of the risks people will take to survive in one of the world's most beautiful yet formidable landscapes and the undercover investigation that threatens to topple the whole scheme.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mixing stranger-than-fiction true crime with regional history and flashes of memoir, this fascinating debut from science journalist and Florida native Renner follows two men on opposite sides of the law. Jeff Babauta was a clean-cut and conscientious Florida Fish and Wildlife officer nearing retirement when he was recruited to investigate poaching in the mid-2010s. Under a new identity—the long-haired, freewheeling Curtis Blackledge—he began running an alligator farm in Arcadia, Fla., to gather information about poachers and curb their operations. On a parallel track, Renner tells the story of 20th-century alligator poaching legend Peg Brown and his exploits on the Ten Thousand Islands of Everglades National Park, "a many-faceted archipelago of tangled mangroves... with evocative names like Lostmans River." In an attempt to separate man from myth, Renner visited the islands herself and researched how outsiders, from Spanish conquistadors to oil drillers, have negatively impacted them. As she and Babauta eventually learned, the official establishment of Everglades Park in the 1940s "pushed whole communities into crime" by reclassifying multigenerational families of hunters as poachers. Renner teases out the moral ambiguities with a grace and rigor reminiscent of Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief. Beautifully evoking the "sawgrass plains and wild strands of jungle" of its author's home state, this tale of power, politics, and tradition is a triumph.
Customer Reviews
Stay Wild Florida!!!
Despite being three-decade long residents and now full-time RV-ers, Rebecca still opened our eyes to an unknown and colorful swath of Florida. She does so with suspense, honesty and grace for her very real characters, all while gifting readers with stunning descriptions of this wildly exotic state. Definite must read for anyone seeking an adventure, especially one within a state still fighting to stay wild.
Fascinating and Unique
What could have been purely an excellent true crime tale of a wildlife officer taking on an alligator poaching ring in the Everglades becomes truly unique due to the parallel stories first-time author Rebecca Renner weaves together. The primary focus of her detailed reporting is on Jeff Babauta, who went deep undercover both physically and psychologically to build his case. Renner then mixes in her personal journey of learning about the history of legendary poachers and the legacy they left in what remains of the wilds of Florida. A deft blend of compassion and insight combined with her evocative prose makes Gator Country a fascinating read.