Dead “King” Gator To Be On Display In Georgia
Mon, Apr 28, 2008
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Image from Steve Beger
Oscar the alligator, who died at around this time last year, isn’t quite done terrorizing the populace with his 14-foot frame just yet. Park rangers have determined that to honor the beast, they’re going to have him on display, in skeletal form, in a permanent memorial.
Oscar, who had roamed the Okefenokee swamp since 1946, will be on display like a museum dinosaur as a reminder to visitors what sort of creatures roam the southeast Georgia swamps. His display will include the contents of his stomach when he was found, which were a dog collar and tag, a penny, and the top section of a flagpole. There will also be detailed descriptions available of the wounds that will be visible. Several shotgun blasts and rifle bullets failed to stop Oscar over the course of his life as a half-ton reptile. He also had arthritis in the end, all of which will be very evident when he’s placed on display. Park officials say that they’re expecting around 400,000 visitors this year, many of whom will see the former king of the swamp.
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April 29th, 2008 at 12:40 am
seems like an appropriate memorial for a venerable old swamp monster!
btw, a bit of nit-picking: in the first sentence, “populous” (adj.) should be “populace” (n.).
April 29th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Thanks onleyone – that slipped through my editing net! It’s now corrected.
Chris
February 14th, 2009 at 4:25 am
I didn’t know that Oscar had died, until I read this article.
I am truly saddened by the news.
My children and I visited Okefenokee Swamp 15 years ago (seems like yesterday) and we were big fans of Oscar. He was lying up on the shore as our boat passed by and seemed so huge, like something from our nightmares. My children were afraid at first and clung to me, and then Oscar opened his eyes and watched us pass by, and the kids were entranced, “He was looking at me” they said.
They seemed to have found something important in passing by the “nightmare”, only to find him looking at them in curiosity.
My oldest is getting his doctorate in zoology and the youngest in veterinary medicine. To this day they talk about Oscar. It will be sad news for me to deliver.