Kachunga & the Alligator
All the way from Florida, Kachunga, an alligator expert and “American Bushman,” came to wow fairgoers at the N.C. State Fair. The show includes two alligator experts and of course, a feisty 7-foot alligator.
Kachunga and the Alligator have been traveling across the country for the last 15 years to educate and entertain audiences about these cold-blooded creatures.
The educational yet comical show presents exactly how and why alligators react to humans and other wildlife the way that they do. Kachunga explained that “alligators use their long tails as a weapon or defense because of how heavy and strong it is.” Alligators typically grow to be 6 feet long, growing at 1 foot a year until they hit 6 feet. After they reach a certain length, they then only grow a half inch to an inch a year. For example, a 2-foot long alligator would be about two years old.
Kachunga and his alligator aide show the audience how the alligator moves through the chilly, fall waters being a cold-blooded reptile. In cooler temperatures, these reptiles will only move at 50% of the speed they would normally move at. Typically, on a warm day, alligators will move up to 15 mph on land, and swim much quicker than they can run.
Along with the 7-foot reptile, Kachunga brought along two smaller alligators, one 2-foot alligator and a rare albino alligator. “There are only about 100 albino alligators in the world due to their lack of ability to camouflage themselves in the wild,” said Kachunga.
The money from ticket sales go to Wildlife Entertainment & Education, a public awareness program designed to bring alligators and other wildlife to schools to educate students. Two of the alligators are permanently located at attractions sites and the other three travel the United States and Canada captivating audiences.
This show has three daily performances at the N.C. State Fair at 4:30, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. The show is located near gate 1.
