Trapper brings gator to teach kids at Laurel Oak Elementary in North Naples

Little Jimmy was cranky.

Maybe he didn't like all the attention he was getting from Amy Federico's fourth-graders at Laurel Oak Elementary School in North Naples. Or perhaps he wasn't used to getting up so early; it was only 8:45 a.m. after all. 

"My little buddies are probably a little cranky because I got them up and out of their Jacuzzi pretty early this morning," Ray Simonsen Sr. quipped before carefully taking Little Jimmy out of his cage and placing a leash and harness on him.

Then, Simonsen, who traps nuisance gators for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, placed Little Jimmy, a four-foot alligator, on the classroom floor. The gator, its mouth taped shut for safety purposes, scooted back and forth as the children watched in awe.

"He's a little frisky," Simonsen said.

Simonsen and his two alligators, Little Jimmy and Spike, visited the elementary school Thursday to educate dozens of students on the importance of protecting and respecting wildlife, especially Florida's most famous reptile. 

"They're a protected animal, protected species from the state of Florida," Simonsen told the wide-eyed 9- and 10-year-olds. "You cannot touch them. ... You can't bother them. And you cannot feed them."

Feeding the wild animals "corrupts" them, Simonsen said, and leads to gators becoming too familiar with humans. He cautioned the fourth-graders to keep their distance when encountering alligators in the wild, and he urged them to be respectful.

"This is their home," he said. "We moved into their neighborhood. We have to take care of them."

For about five years, Simonsen has been taking care of nuisance gators found in communities and neighborhoods across Southwest Florida. He caught Little Jimmy, who was trying to make a home for himself on a floating jet ski dock, near Naples Bay.

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"He's a swanky gator," he said. "See, gators don't discriminate. They go wherever they want because they can."

Students learned Thursday about how many teeth gators have (82 to 84), how fast they can sprint (25-30 mph) and the reptile's mating season.

"During mating season, the boys are looking for a girlfriend," Simonsen said, to giggles from the classroom.

But the highlight of Thursday's 30-minute "Alligator 101" lecture came near the end when Simonsen, alligator in arm, went from desk to desk, allowing students to touch the reptile, a representative of an  ancient species. And although the gator had received a bath in antibacterial soap earlier in the day, Federico followed Simonsen around the classroom with a bottle of hand sanitizer. 

"Reptiles carry a lot of bacteria," Simonsen said.

Alternating expressions of astonishment and skepticism flashed across the children's faces as they slid their fingers across Little Jimmy's skin.

For Claire Beaudet and Jack Cahoon, both 10, the hands-on experience was hands down the best part.

"The back was really hard, and then the actual skin was scaly and soft," Jack said.

Added Claire: "It was like bumpy. Weird."

Educating children early about the wildlife around them and how important alligators are to the ecosystem is key, Simonsen said.

"The big point is just trying to get them to understand: Take care of the wildlife," he said. "We're planting the seed. We need to take care of our environment."