[CFrance]

Steph, I imagine you can google them to get an image, but my advice is if you are walking your dog and see a toad (they are even in the middle of the street in the evening), just steer your dog clear.

I used to walk our dog after dark due to the heat, and he would see the toad in the road first and go into check-it-out mode, which was my clue to shorten the leash.

[Carl in Tampa]

Originally Posted by TheVillageChicken
I believe it is looking for a quiet place to swim. It had tried Tierra del Sol pool, but some ladies who were water walking gave it the stink eye. It felt uncomfortable and left.

Originally Posted by perrjojo
OMG...you are so correct...leave them alone and they will choose to go back to their own peaceful habitat.

Who will go back, the gators or the women?

[Shimpy]

Originally Posted by Steph

I'm not worried about the alligators but what is a cane toad? Can you describe what they look like and where they might be lurking.

Check this out......Bufo marinus - Giant Toad, Cane Toad, Marine Toad

We had them by the hundreds in S. Florida. My brother's Doberman got ahold of one and nearly died. A small dog would have.
I used to leave my house in the morning before daylight heading to work and try to see how many I could run over in my neighborhood.

[mulligan]

Originally Posted by maryanna630

I would leave it alone. It will find its way back to its habitat. I don't think it wants to be moving into Pennecamp.

Not the reply I expected, but the right thing to do IMHO.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by perrjojo

OMG...you are so correct...leave them alone and they will choose to go back to their own peaceful habitat.

Peaceful habitat? Isn't it funny how we look out over a swamp and think about how peaceful it is. It may look that way from afar. It may be for us who are in no danger, but wild habitats are anything but peaceful. Animals die every day from being eaten alive by other animals. Nature is anything but peaceful and safe. It is violent and dangerous. Most animals are constantly on the lookout for other animals that want them for lunch.
Alligators are close to the top of the food chain around here except that large birds and snakes eat the babies. Think that's so peaceful? You're a mommy alligator looking after your brood and suddenly a large egret sweeps down and peacefully snatches up one of your young'uns. The sweet baby alligator is then bitten and chewed for several minutes until it's dead.
Then again, alligators do this to all sorts of other animals all the time. And if you're not careful and allow them to remain in places where people live they will do it to you dog, cat or even a small child. This happens several times a year in the state of Florida and I would guess that it happens anywhere that people live near alligators.
As the article by FSW states, if a gator is relocated it will probably either be killed or kill another gator. Isn't it much more humane to put a bullet in their brain and end their life without pain?
The only other alternative that I can think of would be not live in close proximity of alligators. If you believe that is the way to go then you'd be in favor of destroying the entire Villages and every other development in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and many in Georgia and the Carolinas.
The fact is that if we humans are going to live anywhere, we are going to disrupt the habitats of animals. There is no living in peace and harmony with nature. Like I said, nature is cruel and violent. It is kill or be killed.

[Carl in Tampa]

Originally Posted by gerryann

If they aren't hurting anyone......just leave em alone and they'll leave you alone.

If there is no control there is a great likelihood that the area will become overrun with alligators.

Can the "leave them alone" supporters come up with a number of gators-per-yard beyond which we can all agree that some gators must be removed?

What might that number be?

.

[PaPaLarry]

There's nothing like "The ultimate of surprise". Especially when you walk out at night!

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa

If there is no control there is a great likelihood that the area will become overrun with alligators.

Can the "leave them alone" supporters come up with a number of gators-per-yard beyond which we can all agree that some gators must be removed?

What might that number be?

.

And if we leave them alone, are we guaranteed that they will leave us alone? Alligators are instinctive creatures. They don't so much think as they simple act on urged. Their miniscule brain basically just keeps their bodily functions going they have no sense of right or wrong or pain or pleasure. They just kill and eat things without knowing why.
In all they are not much different than an insect. They are certainly less intelligent and sentient than a fish.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa

Who will go back, the gators or the women?

Hopefully all of them!

[tudacee]

Originally Posted by CFrance

Ditto

Wonder if you'd feel the same if it was in your neighborhood? I walk my little Napoleon on triggerfish and frankly, I'm glad they got rid of it. And what if my little granddaughter was with me? Wild life is fine, but not on my street thank you very much.

[Carl in Tampa]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

And if we leave them alone, are we guaranteed that they will leave us alone? Alligators are instinctive creatures. They don't so much think as they simple act on urged. Their miniscule brain basically just keeps their bodily functions going they have no sense of right or wrong or pain or pleasure. They just kill and eat things without knowing why.
In all they are not much different than an insect. They are certainly less intelligent and sentient than a fish.

They are very much like sharks as described by Hooper in Jaws: "What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that's all."

.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa

They are very much like sharks as described by Hooper in Jaws: "What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that's all."

.

Okay, but we don't go around hunting down and killing every shark that shows up in waters where we swim. it's definitely their "surf," so to speak.

I vote for leaving the alligators alone when they wander unless they are directly menacing the residents. It can't hurt to wait a few hours to see if it leaves the area.

[Carl in Tampa]

Originally Posted by CFrance

Okay, but we don't go around hunting down and killing every shark that shows up in waters where we swim. it's definitely their "surf," so to speak.

I vote for leaving the alligators alone when they wander unless they are directly menacing the residents. It can't hurt to wait a few hours to see if it leaves the area.

You fail to acknowledge what we DO when there are sharks in the water. --- WE GET OUT. That's not an acceptable option where we live. We are a geographically large area. Just because a gator moves out of your sight that doesn't mean he's "left the area."

If it weren't for the trappers work, how many hundreds of gators might be in The Villages right now?

I'll pose my question again: How many gators per block would we have to be infested with to reach a number to get you to agree to start removing them?

—------------

I like your play on words, using surf where we would ordinarily say turf.





.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa

You fail to acknowledge what we DO when there are sharks in the water. --- WE GET OUT. That's not an acceptable option where we live. We are a geographically large area. Just because a gator moves out of your sight that doesn't mean he's "left the area."

If it weren't for the trappers work, how many hundreds of gators might be in The Villages right now?

I'll pose my question again: How many gators per block would we have to be infested with to reach a number to get you to agree to start removing them?

—------------

I like your play on words, using surf where we would ordinarily say turf.





.

Carl, I give up! We'll have to agree to disagree. I can't answer the question as to how many gators would be here without trappers. I think that since there is now a hunting season on gators, the cull might keep the numbers down. My heart says that there aren't enough of them wandering around menacing neighbors in TV to immediately call someone to have one in my yard be removed without first waiting overnight to see if it moved. I'm sure the next person down the line would make the call, and that makes me sad.

When was the last time a person in TV was attacked by a gator? Again, questions for which I have no facts, so I just go with my gut feeling. You as a law officer probably have a much different view on things than I.

Although if I see a shark in the water, watch how fast I can swim.

Regards.

[Cisco Kid]

Originally Posted by CFrance

If you go to the online newspaper, you will see a video of an alligator walking around someone's sidewalk in Pennecamp. Yikes!

Did anyone check the guys yard for gator poop.
I would hate for some poor dog to get the blame for it.