Communicating with Wild Alligators

This is photo of myself and my husband, Hans Picard, holding a playful, primitive wooden carving of an alligator. We purchased this to honor a wonderful experience we shared.  In the summer of 2004, I taught an Animal Communication class on a barrier island off the coast of Charleston, SC. The Island was mostly undeveloped and available only by boat. All residents lived in harmony with the flora and fauna.   Our class was held on the screened in porch of a home owned by one of the islanders, and was perched high above a pond on the island’s interior.  Located close the Atlantic Ocean, all houses were elevated and so we were at least 15 feet in the air with a fabulous (and safe) view below of the pond’s resident 12 foot long  alligator— sunning himself on the muddy banks.  The last exercise of the class involved communicating with the alligator.  Hans supported my work with all his heart and took on the assignment with great enthusiasm.  Afterwards, we all shared what the alligator communicated and Hans, with much gusto and drama, said the alligator told him: ….”I’m hungry”—a line he delivered  in a very slow, drawn out and low, guttural growl.  Everyone exploded in laughter.  

Shortly after the workshop, we took a trip up the South Carolina coast to one of our favorite places: Brookgreen Gardens.  It’s an exquisite botanical and sculpture garden developed in the early 20th century by the artist Anna Hyatt Huntington and her husband (https://www.brookgreen.org/history-gardens).  There was a small zoo on the property showcasing the local animals.  One of the enclosures contained alligators.  Their enclosure was part of a creek system that meandered through the property.  It had been fenced off to keep a small population of the animals captive and on view.  Hans and I stood behind a chain link fence on a concrete pad elevated above the tidal creek.  A grassy slope led from the fence/viewing area down to the shallow, muddy creek.  On the grass a small alligator was sunning, facing down towards the creek.  Hans stood very still and I could tell he was testing his animal communicating skills on the ‘gator and sure enough, it slowly turned around and began to walk towards him.  And just as this happened, an enormous, 10 foot long Bull Alligator emerged from the creek’s mud and charged Hans….a movement so fast and furious that we both were alarmed and stepped back!  Hans was messing with the guy’s girlfriend, evidently!  We shared this story and laughed about it many times over the years.

RIP Hans Picard

4/22/35-11/30/25