Alligator at Sumter Landing?
 

Does anyone know why the "powers that be" have not arranged for a professional alligator trapper to remove the alligator from Lake Sumter? I love taking the grandchildren to feed the turtles and have frequently ended up with the alligator joining in with the turtles and fish. It's against the law to feed the alligator, but that means not feeding the turtles at all.

Removing gators from that body of water could be an endless job. Gators find water and it's a relatively large body of water for this area. There are many areas where they can enter that lake. The gators will come to where the food is. Gators do eat turtles. Maybe feeding the turtles could put them in danger of becoming the next course if gators decide they're still hungry.

Are you talking about the gator that lurks under the dock behind the ice cream store? Just walk away from the gator. If you walk along the boardwalk toward the Lighthouse the turtles will follow you, but the gator will stay put. At least that's been my experience.

Best thing to do is look, admire and let be the wild life! They will feed themselves without any help from us humans. Does the word "wild!" mean anything? Find something else to amuse the grandkids with and let the animals do their thing..!

Don't you realize when a professional alligator trapper captures a gator in one of our ponds or lakes, the gator is NOT relocated. They are killed.

Do not feed the turtles either. These are not supposed to be dependent on humans for food.

Personally, I wish a game warden was present at Lake Sumter Landing and was handing out the $500 citations to the people feeding the alligators - or make the children watch as the gator was killed while explaining it was due to their feeding.

This thread sounds a bit like a few years ago when we still have bison (buffalo) grazing in the pasture along 466. They were taken away due to grandparents w/children climbing over the fence for a photo-opt. NOT good folks...no matter how you look at things!

As another poster stated they're wild!!! They're in their natural habitat and can fend for themselves (the turtles). We've enjoyed just watching them swim around and don't have to feed them to do that!!! Mr. Gator just might take a lunge one of these days and that won't be a pretty sight no matter how one looks at it.

It is against FL State law to feed ANY wild animals!

The gator isn't a nuisance yet. That's why it is still there. They get to be a nuisance when foolish people feed them.

I swear to goodness we seniors can argue about anything...:angel:

Boy Howdy.

Good Morning everyone!:wave:

Or else, If you feel good about feeding them,go ahead. If you think its bad to feed them do not.Do not think it will harm anything. Now everyone should be happy.

TOTV, if nothing else..has saved me money. I canceled my Direct TV for I can get all of the drama I need, right here! Ha..

You got that right.

It's a Crime, plain and simple
 

Usually I am not a "hard liner", but the alligators are a native species, they were "here first" and they are protected by law from anyone interfering with them.

The ponds are not liquid petting zoos. Just had to get that out of my system because I love animals and respect their natural condition and right to remain undisturbed.

"Or else, If you feel good about feeding them, go ahead. If you think its bad to feed them do not.Do not think it will harm anything. Now everyone should be happy." I think not!! Instead, this is a wonderful opportunity to teach grandchildren about preserving natural habitats, and respect for the law. The laws are not subjective. That way, the grandchildren will not grow up to become one of those "rowdy young visitors to the Villages" that people worry about.

Even if it was not against the law, which it is, it is never a good idea to feed anything that is wild. As God gave them the knowledge to find food, that is best for their health.

Oh NOOOOO! You were feeding turtles? And possibly alligators too?? How DARE you bring a smile to your grandchildren's face by doing something that might infringe on the earths wildlife.

All I can say is I BEST not catch you feeding any ducks and don't you dare try feeding seagulls at the beach! That might break a "rule" and you wouldn't want to break a "rule" because the "rules" can NEVER be broken. EVER!!!!! Do you understand? EVER!

Not smart to feed the gators!

Hope Village Girl knows that feeding the alligators is a $500 fine in Florida. Maybe she would also like to explain to grandchildren that the alligator will become used to people and will be determined a nuisance. The gator will be hooked with a huge treble hook and shot in the head to kill it. Let the grandkids watch what happens as a consequence to feeding the gator.

See if that brings a smile to their little faces.

Many of us keep forgetting that anything is OK as long as it puts a smile on your grand kids face.

Feed the buffalo, no problem, they smiled,

Drive golf carts, no problem, they smiled.

Feed the gators, nor problem, they smiled.

You must be kidding!!

the real feelings will come out when one of the kids gets grabbed by a gator. Couldn't happen? Why not?

There is no room for doing what one feels like when it comes to wild animals. And even though we are part of a way too permissive society....follow the rules....and show your grandkids by good example that doing what is right is far better than "cute".

btk

Did anyone read the OP post? This poster was not trying to feed the alligator and if it's against the law to feed the turtles then just state it. This post is no exception to just about any other post on this site lately!

Clearly, no one read the original post because all most wanted to do was talk about feeding the alligator when the poster made a point that that is NOT what they were trying to do.

As I recall, only one poster tried to come up with an answer to this question.

Can we TRY to just answer the question and NOT beat up the poster? Did anyone pay attention enough to see this poster has only posted a few times? Well, I think they must REALLY feel welcome now!

Oh, if it makes you feel better to direct your wrath on me, so be it!

I go out paddle boarding on Lake Miona a few times a week and always see gators. They don't bother me and I don't bother them. They usually leave in a hurry if I get too close. I love seeing them in their natural habitat exhibiting their natural behaviors.

The problem with feeding them is that it changes their behavior. They soon begin to associate humans with food (remember, their brains are slightly larger than a walnut). They begin to lose their natural fear of humans. It is this association of humans/food which makes them nuisance gators and will frequently lead to the gators being destroyed. It also leads to an increased risk for all those tasty little grandkids.

Your point is well taken. On the other hand, it is important to realize that gators EAT turtles. If you feed turtles regularly they tend to congregate in THAT area (another example of how feeding changes wild animal behavior). If the turtles congregate in one area regularly to be fed, it can/will attract gators, which would certainly be a threat to the turtles and possibly be a threat to those feeding the turtles. It is best to avoid feeding wild animals so as not to change their behaviors.

And what is it you are trying to say in this post. Is it tongue in cheek or do you really mean rules are there to be broken??

Yes, I agree cappyjon. And to state that would be enough. I understood that the first time it was said and the second, and the third. So have the 800 people who came to this thread. Why do people have to jump on a poster AND why a new poster?

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment in a nice way. It is greatly appreciated.

I feel that more people would post and come on this site if people would post their answers nicely.

Agreed. My wife no longer uses TOTV because she dared to (God Forbid!) give a poor review of the restaurant at Glenview Country Club. It was one of her first posts, and she was jumped on by all sides--accused of being an ex-employee with an axe to grind as well as someone saying that it is frequently the poster's fault if the service is poor. People were downright nasty. At least the moderator removed some of the more personal attacks. She was so turned off by the experience that she no longer even looks at TOTV.

Yes, I remember that one. I remember you were the hero who came to her defense. I won't forget it!

It's gonna be a hoot in about 15 years. I envision after banging on the keyboards for so long we'll have athritic hands, won't be able to golf and we'all will just be having a grand ole time arguing non stop making a million typoes long the way. By the way, when you play with matches....
:loco:

You gotta love Gracie! A little Gracie never hurt any thread! Thanks!

yeah! flame.....flame....crap....yadayadayada

Ginny, you are intruding on their environment, be happy they don't feed on you, the end!

:sing::wave::oops::rant-rave:

Somebody will complain. I had a thread today and asked folks living in TV if they missed snow. We were all cruising along, no fights, all was well. Then somebody complained that my thread was in the wrong place. BAM, it was moved. Snow balls to the complainers.

The way I look at this. If you do not like people feeding turtles walk away. If you do not like them throwing some popcorn at gators walk away.I see no problem with this.Like how many gators are in lake sumter anyway. 5-10. Do not think they will harm anyone up on the docks. Never seen one at the Square.People Lighten Up. Ps,If someone told me thats a $500 fine for feeding the gators or turtles, I would say "call a cop"

This might be slightly off topic (and if so, the mods are welcome to remove it), but I just remembered a very significant personal experience that demonstrates exactly why it is a bad idea to feed wild animals.

When I was younger (and for almost 20 years), I worked as a dive guide/dive instructor. My first job in the dive industry was leading groups of divers in the Bahamas. Once a week (every Wednesday) we would do a shark feed dive. Divers would kneel on the bottom with their backs to a coral ledge and watch as a chum ball (frozen fish) was lowered from a skiff. The sharks would come in, feed, put on a great show for the divers, and then leave. We would escort the divers safely back to the boat. I loved this experience and thought it was one of the greatest jobs ever.

We did this feed every week and never had a diver bitten or even threatened. By doing the feed every week the sharks' behavior began to change. They soon (after a couple of months of doing weekly feedings) began associating our boat's engine noise with food and began congregating before we even had the divers or the food in the water. This was still not a problem. The divers loved it and I thought it was an awesome experience. I didn't realize at the time that changing their behavior in this way would have dire consequences.

After a few months of doing the dives, we had to bring the boat from the Bahamas to Miami for our annual maintenance in the shipyard and our Coast Guard inspection. We left the Bahamas for a month.

When we returned and wanted to begin doing our shark feed again, we noticed that our engine noise no longer attracted the dozens of sharks that normally showed up. When we put the divers in the water and dropped the chum, we saw no sharks. They had mysteriously disappeared. We thought that perhaps since they were not being fed regularly maybe they forgot about the feeds. Until we spoke to a local islander and found out that since a group of local fishermen knew that sharks were regularly attracted to our shark feed spot, they thought it would be sporting to go out and catch and kill dozens of sharks in a single afternoon. It was a senseless slaughter and I was devastated. I felt (and rightly so) that I was partly to blame. Afterall, if we didn't draw the sharks to that area regularly, it would not have been possible to annihilate all those sharks in such a short time. I loved watching the sharks, thier sleek, majestic movement through the water will always be etched in my mind. Our divers loved seeing them as well. Now they were gone, and it was mainly due to our changing the sharks' natural behavior.

The company wanted to resume shark feeding off a different island, as the feeds were immensely popular with our guests. I strongly objected. When they resumed the feeds I had to find a different job, because I couldn't stomach being responsible for a replay.


I know that I am probably being overly passionate about urging people to avoid feeding wild animals, but it is something I feel very strongly about. Now ya'll know why. I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening.

Maybe I'm just not getting your point. I apologize. So, let me get this right. It is OK to break some laws, as long as you get to pick which laws to ignore? It IS against the law to feed gators, but you have decided you don't think this law is important so it is OK for people to ignore it. I guess folks who ignore other laws (like breaking and entering, burglary, assault, etc.) are just following your lead--they are deciding which laws are "OK" to break just like you. Not what I would want to teach my grandchildren (when I am blessed to have some).

Thanks, Cappy, this story is very pertinent. The turtles as well as the gators can easily become conditioned to expect food when they see humans. So often we do things that we think are helpful or enjoyable to animals when in fact, we are only making ourselves feel better. I don't believe any of the creatures that live within TV borders are suffering from food shortages. Nature isn't always pretty, one creature eats another and that's the way it is. Feeding the turtles may seem like fun and I'm sure it is for the little kids who are enjoying seeing the critters eat, but I'm not sure they'd enjoy watching a hungry gator devour one of those turtles.

So often we project our human emotions onto animals...it's not always easy to realize that their diets are so different from ours, their behaviors are many times instinctual and they are not domesticated.

Pick on me if any of you have difficulty with this, but I know what is right and what is wrong when dealing with and living among nature's creatures.

The rationale expressed in the above post could possibly shed some light on why the buffalo needed to be removed from TV. I think the two points under discussion here are respect for wildlife, and teaching grandchildren to obey laws.

It is posts like this one that draw comments that are then called bashing.
I cannot imagine what else......you see no problem with.

I'm sorry that you had to deal with that and I can feel in your words how much this hurt you. Thank you so much for posting this story.

I wasn't trying to make a point one way or the other as to if the poster should or shouldn't anything, I think you understand that. However, after reading this story, I will certainly think twice about feeding ANYTHING other then myself!

Thank you!
:angel:

I think that we've become so removed from nature that we have lost respect for the power of nature. I've witnessed a gentleman jump a fence to walk a small child close to a resting alligator. I've witnessed grandparents lifting little children up to feed a wild buffalo. I've witnessed adults playing golf with lightning flashing all around them. My neighbor went to the ER after being head butted by a buffalo he was petting.:loco:

Heck, I have enough trouble remembering to feed my cat!! I understand what the original poster was saying, it is fun to make memories with the grandkids. I think that this gives every grandparent with a visiting grandchild the opportunity to teach the kids...they will want to feed the animals but by explaining the reasoning the kids will learn and develop a respect for nature...perfect thing to pass on to our kids and something they will remember. Gingin, please don't be offended or feel like you were being attacked...sometimes we get a little over anxious with our answers. Enjoy those grandbabies! (by the way, when I move down there...if anyone wants to send the kids over to feed my cats.....):laugh:

Trappers
 

We also have a condo in So Fla and have had to remove 3 gators in my 15 years living here. It's not pleasant. Certainly not a good thing for children to view. We find that as a big one is removed, a smaller one moves in almost immediately and lives here most of it's life. They don't really bother anyone as long as NO ONE feeds them. When they reach 8' or 8'6" we have to remove them for the safety of our residents and or small children who may be visiting grandparents. We also have turtles and they do just fine if left alone. Possibly they should post signs about feeding the gators as LSL?
Problem solved!