Trapping alligators
 

Heard on the news tonight that traps have been set for aligators, not for any good reason AT ALL, and then they are killed. IF, in fact, this is true, SHAME on anyone involved in this. First the buffalo, because people couldn't read the warning signs right on the fences!!! And now the aligators that are not bothering anyone. This is ridiculous, and criminal. What can we do to fix this?

I think the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission knows what it's doing with the 1.3 million gators in the state.

Why does the FWC not relocate nuisance alligators in Florida?

Florida has a healthy and stable alligator population. We have about 1.3 million alligators in Florida. Alligators live in all 67 counties, and they inhabit all wild areas of Florida that can support them. The removal of nuisance alligators does not have a significant impact on our state's alligator population.

Relocated alligators often try to return to their capture site. They can create problems for people or other alligators along the way. If an alligator successfully returns, capturing it again would be necessary and likely more difficult the second time.

To avoid creating a problem at the release site, nuisance alligators would need to be relocated to remote areas where they would not encounter people. These remote areas already have healthy alligator populations, and the ones that already live there have established social structures. The introduction of a new alligator to these areas would likely cause fighting, possibly resulting in the death of a resident alligator or the introduced alligator."

Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program

Perhaps read the news articles that indicate "The alligators in question have grown increasingly aggressive, according to residents of the neighborhood. They show no fear of humans and have been feasting on birds, ducks and turtles in the little body of water." [ www. villages - news. com/ ]

What else are they supposed to eat?

Z

In May of 2008 I did an LSP at the Lakeshore Cottages. In May of 2009 I did an LSP at Creekside. I just figured the moving of the buffalo was an economic decision. Still do in fact.

I say leave the gators alone in every way..The were here first..IMHO

I agree. People need to hold the hands of their grandchildren, keep dogs on leash, and not disobey signs posted on fences. We also need to be diligent. Will go see the buffalo as well. I really do miss them where they used to be.

Yea, and don't kill the lovebugs either. They might have been here before the alligators.

Trapping Alligators, LOL
 

With tongue-in-cheek, here's a news report I'd like to see:

Nuisance Villagers removal effort planned

Using offers of free beer and Budweiser Clydesdale visits as bait, VCCD and local police authorities intend to round up, trap and remove Villagers exhibiting aggressive behavior. Villagers in question show no fear of driving drunk and without seat belts, talking loud, cutting in line, and other threatening kinds of conduct. Villagers saving dozens of chairs at a time for town-square events are also a concern, especially to potential buyers who can't find a place to sit. Authorities say aggressive, older Villagers will be relocated to memory care facilities. Those under age 55 will be fed to alligators that are an important part of the charm and ecology in the area.

And now for something completely sarcastic (credit TheOnion.com:)

Uncool Zookeeper Won't Let Anyone Ride Gorillas
BROOKFIELD, IL—Despite heartfelt pleas, Janice Petrone, a totally lame and uncool zookeeper at the Brookfield Zoo, repeatedly told a group of area sixth graders Monday that they were not allowed to ride on the backs of the western lowland gorillas.
"The silverback's natural instinct is to protect his troop," said Petrone, who has probably never taken a risk in her entire boring life. "He would beat his chest, bare his teeth, and then charge at you as soon as you entered the enclosure."
Petrone, a loser who hates fun, also told the kids they were not permitted to swim with the sharks, race the cheetahs, or punch the giraffes.

So were the American Indians

You are right of course. Many landholders EVERYWHERE keep livestock on unused lands because it puts it into agriculture instead of residential status
and drops the tax fees some. I am sure that is what the Morses did but I do believe that the founder, Harold Schwartz was fond of them.


BUT the straw that broke the camels back was when folks ignored the DOUBLE fencing and would bring their grandkids up close and personal to feed these big hairy critters carrots and that was o.k. until it got to be time for the buffalo's to be moms and that made them ornery and protective and dangerous. You would think with the hue and cry of moving them that a lot of folks moved here for the buffalo. AND that may be true but I am not one of them. They aren't domestic pets and they don't get me feeling like I would like to take them home.


Like I feel about Brad Pitt, don't cha know? ;)

I like both of these articles. Pretty funny!:1rotfl:

LOL

:beer3:

Food and clothing
 

The nuisance alligators are a source of food and clothing. With a gator population of about 1.3 million in Florida alone it is not as if they were an endangered species.

Besides which, the nuisance alligator program provides us with food and clothing. The alligator tail meat is sold in local restaurants and the hides are made into purses, belts, shoes and boots.

If you object to the killing of nuisance alligators I'd be willing to bet that you are opposed to most, if not all, hunting of any kind.

Right?

.

Problem is in the Villages they are not following the state rules of nuisance gaters nor the state rules on length. In the villages the rule is get rid of any gater regardless of nuisance if it will help keep our friendliest home town reputation safe.

I thought the gators in TV had to be 4 ft or larger to be declared a nuisance?

Gotta agree. No different than killing cows for food and leather.

For your enlightenment. From the Orlando Sentinel. Happened in Leesburg.


Alligator attacks, rips arm off elderly woman in Florida; gator trapped, killed - Worldnews.com

I blame Bambi. That's right I blame Bambi. Ever since Disney did that Bambi movie in the 1950's kids have been haunted by the prospect of hunting animals and they in turn passed that onto their offspring and their offspring to their offspring................As a result we have a national problem with an over population of deer, wolves, bison and alligators, etc. This over population is having a negative financial affect to farmers, ranchers, etc and is having a negative affect on forests, grazing lands, etc. Bears are finding their way to bedroom communities.

The bison at Lake Sumter Landing were always slated to be move and used as a tax strategy for those lands until the Developer was ready to develop the property. The lawsuit story was a red herring because it was anticipated that people would be disappointed that the bison were moved.

I understand your concern, but that was not the fault of the gater. Maybe it is part of natures plan "survival of the fittest". I feel sorry for the Old Woman, but don't kill all wildlife that takes advantage of the week or the old.

Let's be logical
 

By what aberration of logical thought was it "not the fault of the gator" and how do you glean that from the article as published?

Just because the elderly woman was found in the water does not mean that she had been in the water prior to the attack. Gators commonly come on land, grab their prey and take it into the water. That's why pet owners are cautioned to keep them away from waterside where gators are known to frequent.

Besides which, the 17 year old boy who lost an arm, mentioned in the same article was attacked while swimming. Do you suggest that there be no more swimming in the non-coastal waters of Florida? Was his loss also "not the fault of the gator?"

I guess we should also not swim in Florida's coastal waters since there are sharks in those waters.

-----------------

"Don't kill all the wildlife that takes advantage of the weak or the old?" ARE YOU KIDDING? There are 1.3 million alligators in the state of Florida. I would kill as many as it takes to keep humans safe. There is no place among us for nuisance alligators.

Besides which..........................they are tasty. :icon_hungry:

Not a rule.
 

The four foot length is not a rule, but a guideline.

From the state web site discussion of the nuisance alligator program: "Occasionally, alligators less than 4 feet in length are legitimate problems and must be addressed."

If an alligator has lost its fear of humans it is a nuisance no matter what its length.

---------------------------

What is the researchable source of your allegation that in TV it is "the rule" to get rid of any gator regardless of nuisance?" It sounds more like opinion than rule.

.

Disney
 

You are correct in your Bambi analysis. Except the movie was released in 1942, not in the 1950s.

And you are correct about the overpopulation and its negative effects. However, in defense of Walt Disney, in the 1930s the deer population of the United States had been reduced to about 300,000 due to commercial exploitation of deer. Laws were passed to stop commercial use of deer products and the current estimated deer population of the U.S. is 30 million. Perhaps it is time to lengthen the deer season and raise the bag limit.

One wonders why Disney's glorification of Mickey Mouse didn't result in a similar cry for protection of rodents. But, wait! Did it?

I recall the story of a man who was charged with killing a rat that was raiding his tomato patch. Man Faces Charges After Killing a Rat - NYTimes.com

The good news is that the charges were later dropped.

I wonder how many folks bemoaning the mistreatment of the gators own and love a cat. Cats are responsible for the deaths of 1.4 to 3.7 billion birds and 6.9 to 20.7 billion mammals every year, according to research conducted by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A cat is, however, no match for a gator....well, except this one.

I was so entranced with the ad I could hardly go on to the main event.

I didn't get the benefit of an ad. I must not fit the demographic.

I have to admit if it wasn't for the occasional nuisance alligator I wouldn't get to enjoy fried tail with my bud light during football season.

Meow.
 

Don't get carried away by the out-of-focus video. It isn't a housecat, it is a Florida Panther. Big cats do attack gators.

They enjoy gator meat too.

Roaches also.

Wrong - cows, sheep, and pigs are farm animals raised to be human food. Alligators, for the most part, are not domesticated farm animals but wild animals trying to survive.

The local restaurants selling alligator meat do that mainly as a tourist thing.

Let's see.........

You think we eat only domesticated farm animals?

People also eat Ostrich and make clothing accessories from their hides.
The same for deer, elk, moose, caribou, bear and buffalo.
We also eat, and use their feathers for decoration, ducks, geese, and a variety of other waterfowl as well as dove and quail.
Ah, you say, but these are all game animals.

In Florida there is a hunting season and hunting permits are required for taking alligators. It's not all about nuisance gators.

Similarly, in Louisiana there is a hunting season for commercial hunters who can get permits to kill and market over a hundred gators apiece.

Here in Florida hunters who take game animals are not permitted to sell their harvest for food in restaurants. Gator is an exception. This restriction does not apply everywhere.

That's why I could eat reindeer sausage in Alaska, and venison at a mountain lodge in Oregon.

Relocating is fine, if they are harming people. Rumor has it, they are being trapped for no good reason, and being killed. That is NOT ok.

There are lots of rumors running around in TV. Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation doesn't operate based on rumors.

Why does the FWC not relocate nuisance alligators in Florida?

Florida has a healthy and stable alligator population. We have about 1.3 million alligators in Florida. Alligators live in all 67 counties, and they inhabit all wild areas of Florida that can support them. The removal of nuisance alligators does not have a significant impact on our state's alligator population.

Relocated alligators often try to return to their capture site. They can create problems for people or other alligators along the way. If an alligator successfully returns, capturing it again would be necessary and likely more difficult the second time.

To avoid creating a problem at the release site, nuisance alligators would need to be relocated to remote areas where they would not encounter people. These remote areas already have healthy alligator populations, and the ones that already live there have established social structures. The introduction of a new alligator to these areas would likely cause fighting, possibly resulting in the death of a resident alligator or the introduced alligator..."
Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program

It is far better than having a small child killed for no good reason by a wild animal. They are protecting us, be it an abundance of caution.


A gentleman in Bridgeport at Lake Sumter saved his dog from an alligator attack just last year. It really can happen. Beautiful children and beautiful dogs are prey for them.
http://www.free-slodkie-cavalier-kin...s-spaniel.jpeg


2832

Tasty
 

AND....... they taste good. :mmmm:

How about fish? I know that some are raised in farms, but I think that most are caught in the oceans. Do you eat the Filet of Fish at McDonalds? That is made from pollock caught in Alaska. Why is it OK to kill fish and not alligators?
Why is it OK to set mousetraps in our homes or to kill cockroaches but not alligators.

Beautiful children and beautiful dogs are also prey to dogs in Florida. Go ahead and Google it. The amount of attorneys handling these cases far exceeds the number of alligator attacks.

alligators
 

There is a pond around mira mesa area where neighbors complained about 4 8ft. alligators. Trapper was called in but some residents cut his bait lines twice and now the villages has told him not to trap. This according to the villages news.com:laugh:

Gracie - If I am recalling the same event - didn't that resident have his dog out in his yard _*without_* a leash and the dog went to the water's edge while the resident was busy with some landscaping work in the yard and was not paying attention to the dog until he heard the dogs whelps?

Can't blame that on the gator if the resident violated the 'leash law' here and paid attention to his dog rather than his landscaping!

Responsibility and common sense would have gone a long way to avoid that situation!

That is true. It is my own set of values Maria. I think of dogs as family members and alligators as wild animals that I feel no affection for. The dog owner was careless and then he put himself in harms way to do what he did.


I doubt if we would have many issues or problems of any sort if all people behaved with common sense and never drank and got a bit fuzzy, but they do. I think removing large gators is protecting us, stupid and unstupid, careful and careless. drunk or sober, animal lovers and non animal lovers. The alligators don't pay taxes..


I am acting from my own inner instincts and what I think is right or wrong and do not expect everyone to agree.