CABOT — It’s not every day that junior high school students get to eat lunch with an alligator, but last Friday, kids in Cabot got to chomp their food with a gator named Chomps.
Chomps, a 3-foot alligator from the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo in Hot Springs, visited Cabot Junior High School North on behalf of his home to thank the science club for donating $250 after 13 gators were stolen last year.
“We wanted to personally thank them,” said Suzy Bridges, who, along with her husband, Jamie, manages the farm.
In July 2015, the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo purchased 12 baby alligators for the farm.
“We got the babies because our gators don’t breed,” Bridges said.
After news of the baby gators was publicized, two people broke into the farm and stole the 12 babies — which were 8 to 12 inches in length — and one older gator that was 3 feet long. Bridges said the security footage shows the two masked individuals breaking in, grabbing the gators, putting them in a pillowcase and making a break for it. It took less than two minutes to steal the reptiles.
No one was prosecuted in the theft, but Bridges said the farm was able to recover two of the babies after they were spotted in the area, and the gators were nursed back to health. The other 11 stolen gators have not been found.
News of the theft caught the attention of a group of students 80 miles away, and plans to raise funds for more gator babies were carried out last semester.
Patti Benight, Cabot Junior High North teacher and science club sponsor, said she tries to find a charitable cause for the science club to support every year. When the students heard about the stolen gators, they immediately tried to figure out how they could come to the farm’s aid.
“When the story broke, the students were so moved,” Benight said. “They wanted to help.”
The 25 students in the science club decided to raise money to help the farm purchase more baby alligators. During two weeks in the fall semester, the students sold 250 bracelets at $1 each. The $250 was enough to purchase two baby alligators, Bridges said.
“We sold all around,” seventh-grader Cody Galluppo said. “I sold at my house and anywhere I could. I want to do everything I can to help. [Alligators] are just so cool.”
Cody said he was the top seller in the club, utilizing several sales tactics to raise money for the alligator farm. He said he asked people at school and in his neighborhood to buy bracelets, and he wore a hat depicting an alligator with a sign advertising his product.
Bridges said she was so excited to hear of the science club’s efforts that she wanted to make sure the students knew they were appreciated. On April 1, she and her husband brought the gator Chomps to visit the club at lunchtime. Students — and a few brave school administrators — held Chomps, and Bridges told the club members that the money they raised has been used to bring two more babies to the farm.
The Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo was started in 1902 by H.L. Campbell. It was called The Alligator Farm back then, and it has gone through several owners and transformations to become the attraction it is today.
The Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo is at 847 Whittington Ave. in Hot Springs. The farm is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information about the farm, visit www.alligatorfarmzoo.com.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.