Page 12 - IAV Digital Magazine #425

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Thousands of Florida Alligators Removed For Bad Behavior
CHAD GILLIS and MELANIE PAYNE , The News-Press
Alligators make news often, and for good reason.
These prehistoric lizard-like leviathans march calmly through golf course fairways, across col- lege campuses and end up in urban drainage systems and even neighbor- hood swimming pools.
Areas like Orlando, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples rank among the highest when it comes to alligator removals, according to data from
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state agency that handles alligator nui- sance calls.
State contractors captured and removed alligators in more than 6,500 locations in Florida in 2016, resulting in 8,050 captured ani- mals, most of them killed.
Nuisance alligator removals have aver- aged 7,726 a year between 2001 and 2015. The range is from 5,833 in 2002 to a high of 11,664
in 2006. Alligators are removed when classified as a "nuisance" — longer than four feet and posing a threat to people, pets or prop- erty, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Florida's "season" may be winter and early spring, but for alligators it's sum- mer. And the approach of the alli- gator breeding sea- son makes
adults irritable.
"Alligators become more active during spring when temper- atures rise," said Tammy Sapp, with the Fish and Wildlife Commission. "By taking simple pre-
cautionary measures when recreating near the water, peo- ple can reduce the chances of conflicts with alligators."
Florida's alligator population is about 1.3 million, and alli- gators live in all 67 counties in the state.
"Alligator incidents are a rare occur- rence in Florida," Sapp said. But when they occur, tragedy often follows. As of September 2016, the most recent sta- tistics
available, there were seven major alligator bites of humans and one was fatal.
One of the most high-profile recent fatalities involved 2-
year-old Lane Graves of Nebraska. In 2016 the toddler and his family were visiting Disney World. While playing by the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon, the boy was grabbed by the head, pulled into the water and drowned. Fish and Wildlife removed and killed six alligators from the lagoon during the search for the child.
In 2015, the Fish and Wildlife Commission report- ed nine bites with one fatality. The worst year in FWC's 37-year records was 2001, when there were 16 reported alligator bites with three of them fatal. Some alligator bites
are accidental. The FWC's brochure, "A guide to living with alligators", advises all victims of a bite to seek medical attention. Alligator bites can cause seri- ous and sometimes fatal infections.
Most years, no one in Florida dies from an alligator bite.Yet gators can become a real nuisance when people feed them.
Mike Reynolds, a state-contracted trapper, said it's obvious when a gator has been fed. They don't fear humans and will even approach them.
He told the story of one woman who
complained that her neighbors had been feeding the alligator who lived in a pond behind her home. How did she know? When she threw rocks at the
gator, he jumped up and caught them.
Some nuisance ani- mals, like black bears, can be cap- tured and relocated. Alligators are killed.
"Relocating nui- sance alligators is not a responsible option for people or alligators," Sapp said. "Relocated alli- gators often try to return to their cap- ture site and can create problems for people or other alli- gators along the way."
So what happens to the alligator carcass- es?
"When a contracted nuisance alligator trapper removes an alligator, it becomes the property of the trapper," Sapp explained. "In most cases, the alligator is processed for its hide and meat, which is the primary source of compen- sation for their serv- ices. Occasionally, a nuisance alligator is sold alive to an alli- gator farm, animal exhibit or zoo."
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