Dowbrigade

The supple, tiled skin of alligators, never really out
of fashion, is all the rage this fall, featured in Prada’s Manhattan
showroom, Chanel’s full-page magazine ads and Polo Ralph Lauren’s new
top-drawer Purple Label collection of men’s accessories. But the off-the-wall
price tags and slick fashion shoots hide grim news for Louisiana’s 1,800-odd
licensed alligator trappers: Prices for wild gators have sunk to a 25-year
low. .

"It’s all extremely tightly regulated," said wildlife biologist
Ruth Elsey, who runs the alligator program for the state’s Department
of Wildlife and Fisheries. "It’s generated a huge, multimillion-dollar
industry for the skins and the meat."  

from
the Washington Post