Steven Averett, Content Director, Waste Group

March 1, 2009

1 Min Read
Gator Mater

The wise proclaim that love knows not the bounds of reason or propriety, hence Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller, Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn, Sonny and Cher, Bert and Ernie. So who are we to judge one alligator's love for a garbage truck?

To put it bluntly, Attitude, a 25-year-old female American alligator housed at the Sarasota (Fla.) Jungle Gardens, gets hot and bothered by the sound of the local garbage truck making its rounds. The truck's rumbling engine and the low-frequency sounds it generates as it hoists garbage bins cause the 12-foot-long, 600-pound gator to snap to attention, raise her tail and bellow. Her handlers aren't sure if this represents a coy response to a potential mate, or an aggressive challenge to an interloper in her territory, but they're leaning toward the former.

Strangely, none of the other gators in the park seem to acknowledge the garbage truck's sweet nothings. That's just as well. The only thing sadder than unrequited gator-truck love is a messy gator-truck love triangle.
SOURCE: Bay News 9

About the Author(s)

Steven Averett

Content Director, Waste Group, Waste360

Steven Averett joined the Waste Age staff in February 2006. Since then he has helped the magazine expand its coverage and garner a range of awards from FOLIO, the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) and the Magazine Association of the Southeast (MAGS). He recently won a Gold Award from ASBPE for humor writing.

Before joining Waste Age, Steven spent three years as the staff writer for Industrial Engineer magazine, where he won a gold GAMMA Award from MAGS for Best Feature. He has written and edited material covering a wide range of topics, including video games, film, manufacturing, and aeronautics.

Steven is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he earned a BA in English.

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