Good grief. Regarding "We now have a dead alligator who was only doing what was natural.".........
If a dead nuisance alligator is to be so pitied, and more pitied than people or pets who could be dismembered and killed by it, then I guess the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission is all screwed up in its mission and work to conserve and protect wildlife while also protecting citizens in their communities and yards. FL Fish & Wildlife must be way off base for operating the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program!
Maybe you ought to sue and file an alligator "civil rights" class-action case against Florida Fish & Wildlife for all the 5,856 "pitiful" alligators legally killed in just the year of 2010, because of their being a threat to the safety of citizens in their homes and communities!
"The Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) is administered by FWC's Division of Hunting and Game Management. SNAP is one of five components of Florida’s comprehensive Alligator Management Program. Its mission is to address complaints concerning alligators.
Persons with concerns about an alligator may call FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 1-866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286). Generally, an alligator may be deemed a nuisance if it is at least four feet in length and the caller believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property.
SNAP uses contracted nuisance alligator trappers throughout the state to remove alligators from locations where they are unwanted or unwelcome. If a complaint meets the qualifying criteria, SNAP will issue a permit to a contracted nuisance alligator trapper authorizing the removal of the animal.
Complainants must be able to grant legal access to the property on which the alligator is located. SNAP does not permit the removal of nuisance alligators from private or publicly managed property without first obtaining permission from the property owner or management authority.
In 2010, SNAP received 13,047 nuisance alligator complaints resulting in the removal of 5,856 nuisance alligators."
Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program website:
Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program