Bob runs a small leather sewing shop in the Florida Everglades. One Sunday morning Bob was fishing, standing in water in his hip boots, casting his fishing line out and reeling it in. Bob knew the dangers of standing hip deep in water filled with hungry ‘gators, but he had fished these waters for over 10 years.
Monday through Friday you could always find Bob busy in his shop sewing leather products — hand-made shoes, coats, belts and the like — while Bob’s beautiful wife Ellen was in the house making lunch. Bob had never gone out and killed any ‘gators for their leather hides. The hides were always delivered to him by truck.
On this Sunday, way in the distance ahead of him, Bob can see ‘gators swimming, as he could always see them swimming out there when he was fishing. Then suddenly Bob looked down in the water and saw he was surrounded by two large, 20-foot gators with their mouths open, ready to eat him for lunch.
Bob thought, “Why is this going to happen to me?” Bob looked down at the ‘gators with their teeth showing and said, “Hey, Mr. Gator, I haven’t done you or your family any harm.”
To Bob’s surprise, the ‘gator looked up and answered back, saying, “No, but your friend Human has. We have seen him come to your shop, bringing dead ‘gator hides. You make shoes, coats, boots and stuff out of the ‘gator hides of our dead friends. People have been killing us for our hides by the billions, not for food but for our skins. Human lives in a houseboat on the water nearby. Human hunts ‘gators for our hides. Humans have killed an estimated 40,000 ‘gators. We’re going to use you for food — that’s the only reason.”
Bob said, “Hold it. There is something we can work out here, guys.”
The ‘gator asked, “What do you have to offer to us better than yourself?” The ‘gator behind him said, “We share our fish with people. In return, they kill us.”
They were pushing Bob out to sea. But Bob, thinking quickly, said, “I can protect you from being hunted and skinned.”
The ‘gator in front of Bob asked, “How can you do this?”
Bob said, “I can write the governor of this state and get a law passed that will protect you from being hunted. I will go out and post signs saying, ‘No Hunting of ‘Gators — This Is a Protected Area.’” Bob asked the ’gators, “Do y’all have names?”
The ‘gators closed their mouths. The ‘gator in front said, “My name is Snap.”
The ‘gator behind him said, “And my name is Bite.”
Snap asked, “Bob, can you stop Human?”
Bob said, “Once the law is passed, Human must stop hunting you also. And I’ll give you my word: I will never sew another piece of ‘gator hide again.”
So they let Bob out of the water. Bob did what he promised and got the law passed that is in place today in the state of Florida protecting the ‘gator.
THE END
