Gators, fishing and locals
 

Having read some threads on these subjects, please help me understand:

Many people want "the locals" free to hunt and remove the 'gators from the ponds and lake in The Villages... but not allow them to catch and release fish?

With all the spraying of herbicides, and the run-off of pesticides (and who knows what else) in the TV water bodies, I wouldn't consider any Villages fish or gator to be edible. Ya'll just bump those amenity fees up and hire some trappers to make your pretend wildlife sanctuaries even more void of life.

Key word, “many”. Not all. Fishing sport to “Many”.

Gators seem here to stay. Just have to take some basic precautions to avoid being their dinner

The main thrust of the complaints that I read are people walking through yards to get to the ponds.

I don't know if alligators are a real danger as long as you use common sense. They're pretty timid creatures except the bulls during mating season. They just want to be left alone. The incidents I've heard or read about were about people who ignored some basic rules, like the guy who allowed his dog to run unleashed near the water at a dog park. Dogs like water and 'gators definitely see dogs as on the menu so you can't blame the gator for that. I also heard some years back that a golf course employee doing some landscaping work got a little too close to one and got bit. I'd certainly not favor removing them because some people are stupid.

This time around, yes. And fair enough, no one should have to put up with people walking through their yards.

A few months ago in CDD7 the complaint was simply that an expensive view was being sullied by "those" people fishing in the pond.

It’s illegal to kill gators in Florida. The Villages is no exception. They should stop putting in retention ponds if the people don’t want to share with the gators. Not kill the gators. I’ve lived in Florida born and raised and have swam in Lake Harris more times than I can count. Gators aren’t looking for a fight. They only want food and that’s whatever is smaller than they are. The only way they kill their pray is to drown them so if they can’t drag you to the bottom, they aren’t bothering with you. Specifically if they’re on land, just walk right by them. They couldn’t care less unless you do something quickly to scare them and then they’d just run off. Cottonmouths are the only venomous snake that’s actually sort of a threat though in my lifetime here I’ve never known anyone to be bitten by one. As for fishing, I’m guessing not only walking in yards but the home owners most likely wouldn’t have bought to overlook a small pond with fisherman setting up camp on the daily. I know I wouldn’t

Gators are a part of Florida living, after all, they were here before us.

I agree with your thought about the creatures living in TV lakes/ponds not being edible.
As for the wildlife, if they can survive in there, let them.
As for fising in TV lakes/ponds, it is my guess that they are all private property of TV and fishing is trespassing and should not be allowed (except possibly in designated fishing areas marked as such with parking areas, restroom facilities, etc, to keep fishermen from traveling thru homeowners yards).
Just my opinion.

Which came first? The gator or the gator egg?
Inquiring minds want to know! 🤔🤔🤔

I don't think there are "many" people that want the locals to hunt and remove alligators from their ponds, no one around our pond feels that way, we all enjoy seeing them swim around and sun themselves on the shoreline. However we certainly would not want anyone walking through our yards to go fishing in the pond.

Yes, so was the ice age. Time progresses only in one directions. I personally think small gators under 4 feet are fine. Once they become a possible threat, that is different.

Dogs cause more human injuries and deaths than do Alligators by a long shot and no one is hunting them down.

It’s catch and release so only thing eating fish in TV is the gators

10 ft gator left alone in a pond. No worry.
6 ft gator on your front porch. Worry.
10 ft gator resting on the grass near a pond. No worry.
6 ft gator resting on the grass near a pond with a leash hanging out of its mouth. No worry. He's been fed.

🫠😉