I wonder if he is a friend of Francis Albert whom I often see there!

I used to see a lot of alligators around the golf courses, but I can't remember the last time I saw one on the courses-certainly not this summer. i am sure people have seen them, but each year they seem to get fewer and fewer IMO. I would much rather see the alligators-I won'r bother them if they won't bother me. Snakes, however, can hide very well----until you reach for your golf ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

What makes you think gators are removed from golf courses ?? Gators are removed when they lose their fear of humans. Usually a result of being fed by people who don't know any better.

Gators are every where. It depends on the time of year but just keep looking you will see the eyes just breaking the on surface

I played Cane Garden yesterday. Saw a 5-6 footer on one pond and a much smaller one a couple holes later. Seeing two gators on one day is very unusual for me. When we first came to TV for a visit in 2008 there were many more alligators on the golf course ponds. Apparently TV doesn't want so many and has reduced their numbers.

They are there. You just have to be lucky to see them. And please, don't feed the gators or turtles....otherwise, they will be going the same as the buffalo.

Saw one in the water just outside Brownwood while coming down Buena Vista. Didn't look like there was much to stop him from coming on the cart path if he wanted to.

Hi jhrc4,
I used LOL because I did not know better than it and I normally use that or rs rs rs (which is the same of "smiles smiles smiles" in Portuguese). I did not realize about HnG, which is different and nice too!
Another one, that I will leave on this post is XoXo, which means hugs and kisses.
Best,
xox!o

This gator was removed from the end of Crestview in Buttonwood in June and we are not that close to a pond. It had to have crossed a golf course, walked down St. Charles and walked to the end of Crestview before it was noticed.

The alligator in the picture that is being measured is DEAD. Killed by an alligator trapper in a horrible method. Killed for the reason of walking across a golf course while searching for another pond.

I think that is awful too. Not that I like seeing alligators walking down the road or anything, but those creatures have a right to thrive if they are not bothering anyone and just trying to get to a new home. It should have just be tranquilized and put some other place. That is just my own opinion.:cry:

My husband and I have seen the turtles in the water at Lake Sumter. I do not think I would feed any wildlife though, they can manage to eat by themselves. It can also bring rodents around, which I would not want to see!

I'm curious to know the "horrible method" the trapper used to kill the gator.

The customary method is a single gunshot from a small caliber firearm to the brain, bringing instant death. It is the most humane way to kill a gator.

This gator apparently was subdued prior to being killed as is evidenced by the tape holding his mouth closed.

Trappers are paid by being able to sell the hides and meat of the gators they remove. This keeps gator tail on the menus of the local seafood houses and gator hide coverings on brief cases, shoes and boots.

The gator in the photo could not have been taken unless it met the State's legal definition as a nuisance.

In addition to letting trappers harvest nuisance gators, the state allows qualified individuals to hunt gators in the wild that are not considered nuisances. I think the bag limit is two per person.

We have visited Florida for 30 years before retiring here and living here for 7 years. The more you learn the better informed you are about alligators. I have heard it mentioned that for every pond of water, there is an alligator. True or false, who really knows. I do not live near any of the water ponds etc here in TV. I think my chances of having an actual alligator in my yard as very neligible or maybe on a rare occasion. That being said I have seen alligators here and look for them in the ponds. I remember before we moved here we saw a large alligator by where Mission Hills is now. It was along the south side of 466 and east of Morse. It was being removed since it was so large. If I lived with a pond in my backyard, I would pay attention to my surroundings and DO NOT FEED the critters. They get food on their own and that is the BEST advice to offer. Keep your distance from them too.

Some funny stories:

We were traveling down Buenta Vista, near Bridgeport. Two cars were stopped in front of us and we were thinking of going around them, but luckily we didn't. We saw an alligator on his tippy toes running across the road and he was a reasonable size. We couldn't believe it. So be careful driving as people are trying to miss turtles and alligators or whatever. They are stopped for a reason.

Yrs ago we were in the Everglades. We signed up for a night time walk. During the day we did that walk and saw just how close to alligators one can be. So it was scary at first, but the ranger was leading us on this pathway so we were safe(?). He had a flashlight and was showing us things. One was an owl that was on a post who shortly took off after being flashed. We later found out that at night, basically, alligators are in the water because they eat then. So we were at the spot the ranger wanted us to be and we used our flashlights to flash the alligator eyes and realized how many were out there. It was like a runway of lights. We also listened to the crunching sounds they were making eating whatever they had caught. It was amazing! Then we were told the story of a drunk guy who went swimming at night and didn't live to tell about it.

If you go down to the Everglades, be sure to go on the Shark Valley Tram tours. You will have a wealth of information on alligators and wildlife. Lots of alligators to see along the trail which by the way, one can bike it. Depending upon the time of year, you will see alligators sunning themselves on the trail and along the water where you buy the tickets. Just keep your distance. The half way mark is the Observation Tower where you look down onto all the alligators in that area - wow!

Another thing that happened to us was in or near Big Cypress Swamp. The area was part of an Native American reservation or attraction. So we went to walk on the trail there. We went in April which is prime alligator mating time, and had just about reached the area to go over the bridge and onto the trail. It was then that we heard a male alligator and commotion. He was chasing a female just in front of the bridge. He stopped in front of the bridge and settled down. So people were on the bridge wanting to get off and we wanted to start our adventure. Someone went to get one of the Native Americans who used a big stick to get the male moving off into the water. Then we were thinking about if we would get off the trail without any problems.

Just be aware of any wildlife and keep your distance

This gator was found curled around bushes in front yard of house, trapper hit it with a bang stick first, then mouth taped, measured etc. afterwards. Since this gator was over 4 ft long trapper said it could not be relocated.