When Georgia chicken farmer Mark Glass first started feeding his dead birds to alligators as a way of disposing of them, he didn't realize he was tapping into an industry that would soon have Europe's top fashion houses knocking at his door.
Alligator Farm Turns Out Prized Skins for Purses
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Alligators begin hatching from their leathery eggs in late summer. (VOA/P. Graitcer)
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زن مهاجر، کالیفرنیا 1936
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A newly hatched alligator. (Courtesy Mark Glass)
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Alligator skins are prepared for market, to be used in handbags, watch bands and shoes (Courtesy Mark Glass)