[mherzberg]

My wife and I just witnessed our first alligator "in the wild"! Small one, probably 3' or so, near the shoreline by the shuffleboard courts at the Charlotte pool. Interesting to watch it maneuver.

[DonH57]

I've seen one in lake sumter and one over in a pond by Palmer's Legends a few times.

[Carl in Tampa]

Ponds and lakes in Florida constantly have alligators coming and going. Feeding them is illegal and dangerous. They will eat dogs and may attack children. It is also illegal to catch or harm them without a license. If you are troubled by having one in a pond near you, contact Community Watch. The Villages may have a licensed trapper remove it.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa

Ponds and lakes in Florida constantly have alligators coming and going. Feeding them is illegal and dangerous. They will eat dogs and may attack children. It is also illegal to catch or harm them without a license. If you are troubled by having one in a pond near you, contact Community Watch. The Villages may have a licensed trapper remove it.

And please be careful taking their pictures, gators can move really, really fast!

[Golfingnut]

Originally Posted by mherzberg

My wife and I just witnessed our first alligator "in the wild"! Small one, probably 3' or so, near the shoreline by the shuffleboard courts at the Charlotte pool. Interesting to watch it maneuver.

duck:

I wish we would be instructed to train our kids and dogs and leave the gathers alone.. That said, I know the villages is on a never ending hunt to remove all gaters from the waterways.

[vorage]

Congratulations on your first gator sighting!
Like many of the other writers, we too have spotted alligators in most of the ponds at one time or another; enough to realize that one is likely around even if we don't see it. Most of us are excited to see these amazing creatures and watch them safely from a respectful distance.
That said, here is a link to a brochure from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission that explains how to live around them safely and how the nuisance alligator program really works. Gators under 4 feet generally prey on fish, frogs and other small animals and are not considered a threat to humans. However, wise people will walk their "other small animals" well away from ponds, whether you see an alligator or not.

http://myfwc.com/media/152524/Alligator_Brochure.pdf

[asianthree]

Our first one was 10pm and it was crossing pennacamp dr...it looked a lot bigger in the rear view mirror of our golf cart

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa

Ponds and lakes in Florida constantly have alligators coming and going. Feeding them is illegal and dangerous. They will eat dogs and may attack children. It is also illegal to catch or harm them without a license. If you are troubled by having one in a pond near you, contact Community Watch. The Villages may have a licensed trapper remove it.

Being "troubled" is not a good reason to have the gator removed. It is usually shot upon being caught.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Golfingnut

duck:

I wish we would be instructed to train our kids and dogs and leave the gathers alone.. That said, I know the villages is on a never ending hunt to remove all gaters from the waterways.

Never ending hunt? Where does this come from?

[ssmith]

So glad Bogie Shooter mentioned this...if the authorities come and if it is too large it is toast!!!

[DonH57]

The sad truth is because of careless humans, the animals end up being destroyed.

[Maschutt]

We just saw one in a pond on the Caroline course in Mallory Hill. Big and a bit scary.

[NotGolfer]

Last year a man whose yard is "on" a pool nearly lost his dog. It made the news nationally as he went in and rescued it...which isn't the thing to do. Gladly they both made it out alive and the gator was destroyed (it bit the man during the rescue).

[Golfingnut]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Never ending hunt? Where does this come from?

I see them in the removal process all the time.

[duffysmom]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Being "troubled" is not a good reason to have the gator removed. It is usually shot upon being caught.

Bogie is so right. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone. We have to coexist with wildlife. Unfortunately people lack common sense and have no respect for nature. I actually saw children hanging over the railing on the boardwalk trying to feed the gators while their clueless parents watched. Gators have an amazing ability to leap high and run short distances. We are totally safe on the boardwalk but not hanging down over the railings. Gators are wild creatures and are not here for our amusement, when you feed a wild animal you are signing it's death sentence. If you see one in a pond admire it's strenght and prehistoric beauty, and keep a wide berth.