This article was originally published in The Examiner on March 9, 2017.
By Eleanor Skelton
Staff Writer
The Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce is hosting a grand reopening and mixer benefitting Gator Country on March 10 starting at 11:30 a.m.
Gator Country’s mixer is celebrating the remodeling of the park, located near I-10 and Highway 365.
Gator Country is a “safe haven” for nuisance alligator and reptiles, event organizer Shannon Williamson said in a news release. Gary Saurage, along with Arlie Hammonds and the team, go out in the community, catch nuisance alligators and bring them safely to a place they can live without being harmed.
Also, Gator Country is a gator and reptile park where both Southeast Texas residents and tourists can learn more about these animals in their natural habitat. The park includes alligators, crocodiles, caimans, venomous and nonvenomous snakes, tortoises, and many other reptiles.
“It is a wonderful learning experience,” Williamson said. “There are many animals they can see up close and even hold and take pictures with.”
School districts across Southeast Texas often bring classes on field trips, she said.
The remodeling added new ponds, buildings, and accommodations for the public and incoming alligators, reptiles and other animals.
Now drivers passing by on I-10 on their way to Beaumont can see the parking lot as well as the big green alligator, Williamson said.
Gator Country is inviting the Southeast Texas community to join them for lunch, drinks and entertainment, she said.
Eleanor Skelton 