Q: “The Night Hunter” by AJC staff writer Mark Davis was a good story about gator hunting in coastal Georgia. When a gator is legally harvested like the one in the story, where is the meat sold and where is the gator skin sold? Also, how much money can be made from selling gator meat and the skin?
—William McKee Jr., Flowery Branch
A: Alligator meat must be processed at a USDA-approved facility for it to be sold, but surveys have found that only a small amount of hunter-harvested meat is sold, a spokeswoman with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources told Q&A on the News in an email.
Alligator hides can be sold anywhere once a Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) tag is attached. Most alligator hides harvested by hunters in Georgia are sold at American Tanning and Leather in Griffin, but less than 10 percent of them are sold. The price for alligator hides varies, depending on its size and quality, the spokeswoman wrote. More information can be found at georgiawildlife.com/Hunting/Processors.
Q: How does Channel 2 know what the temperature is in various towns, such as Newnan or Blairsville? Do they have someone reporting the temperatures from other places?
—Eddie Webster, Douglasville
A: There are weather stations in other areas of the state that send hourly readings and data to Channel 2 Action News, chief meteorologist Glenn Burns told Q&A on the News in an email. He said the National Weather Service runs some of the stations and others are run by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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