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I loved doing this show. I remember getting to the swamp in the early morning, with this misty light filling the swamp and everything waking up … it was very cool. And there were so many animals, tons of snakes getting ready for their day. The temperature, the air, it all felt wonderful.
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One unsettling thing did occur. When I first spotted the alligator he was 20 feet away and I was talking. Then I looked back, and the gator was eight feet away. And I knew that that's what they do. Alligators kind of sit there, sleepy-like, and drift closer until they're ready to spring. I was convinced he had his eyes on me. I was busy talking for the camera and could have ended up as the gator's lunch. |
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That swamp boat I was in wasn't much protection either. I nearly tipped it a few times, not a good thing to do with a hungry gator nearby.
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I did eat those crawfish I caught, by the way. Darrow lives in the swamp and really knows how to cook them. He made a tasty dish of crawfish with a nice Cajun taste. If you get a chance, I recommend trying them sometime. |
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The trickiest part of this episode was handling the amphiuma. They have a painful bite and, as you saw, the one I had was pretty slippery. I had to be extremely careful getting it out of the net and into its tank.
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And anytime I was in the water, water moccasins -- which are venomous -- went gliding by me. Most times I could simply push them away, but a few times I had to grab one behind its head and toss it away. Good thing I like snakes! |