The CITES restriction on international trade in gator hides still
applies. The only valuable part of a gator is the hide, but if the
hide is properly tagged to show it was legally taken, there's no
problem in possessing it.

Have you heard the expression "Hip deep in alligators?" That's what a
lot of Florida and Louisiana are like these days---lots and lots of
really big, nasty reptiles. Their endangered status is a thing of the
past. In fact, they've become the focus of a guided hunt business in
several states, including GA, FL and LA. Florida recently lengthened
its gator hunting season after some careless folks became gatorchow.
One attack (non-fatal) happened a couple of miles from my mother's
house in Apopka, and gators have moved into ponds on the golf course
her house faces.

J. Del Col