Big Al is the largest of the 7 American alligators that live in the natural pond at Noah’s Ark.  Although they range in size from 12 feet to 3 feet and came from different individuals, they all have one thing in common: they were all at one time a “pet”.  Having a pet alligator may seem crazy, but it’s something we deal with all too often.  Once the animal outgrows a bathtub, many are released into local lakes where they usually starve to death or are captured and killed.  Big Al is trained to come up to the dock for feeding time so keepers can inspect him, making sure he looks good and is healthy.  Alligators are amazingly intelligent, wild predators and should never be a pet.