[VApeople]

Originally Posted by Sherry8bal

The dog owner is the irresponsible jerk who should have never owned a pet in the first place and obviously thinks he/she is above the law by not leashing their pet. Then they have the nerve to want the alligator killed for doing what it's naturally doing? That's nuts and sounds like a stupid pet owner.

I completely agree.

[Joe V.]

Originally Posted by daveczo

They were here first. We have destroyed their areas. I would rather see less old humans.

Have you tried not looking in the mirror?

[jimbomaybe]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Ok, so the last time *that* happened in TV was...??

I didn't mean to suggest that a great danger existed, the bigger the gator the greater the appetite and less the intimidation of taking on larger prey, like most here I think whoever was walking the dog has the most responsibility, did not someone suggest a grandchild was in charge of the dog or that possibility ? if so how old ? , if that is any measure of expected good judgement, where I was previously leaving small dogs out in your yard unattended could end up with the dog being coyote food, yet people did it

[MDLNB]

Originally Posted by nhtexasrn

Alligators play an important role in maintaining ecosystem balance. Sitting at the top of the food chain, alligators are apex predators and help keep other animal populations in balance, quoted from research I have done. No one is blaming the dog for being off leash, it's the ignorant owners who are to blame. Now an innocent dog is dead and an alligator soon to be dead, simply doing what they do naturally.

They have no effect in OUR (TV) ecosystem, so they should go. We dominate, not the gators, not the birds, not pooping dogs.....we do. Gators have no use in TV.

IF/When there is an economic crisis and a food shortage, the gators will be the first to go and feed me for a sustained time. Then birds and squirrels in TV. Anyone that thinks we should coddle gators, can be their food source if they wish. Oh, and I won't go hungry. I've eaten dog meat before, so that won't slow me down either.

Gators have no redeeming quality in TV, other than a photo OP, so they need to go.

Fresh 'gator at Gator's anyone?

[MDLNB]

Originally Posted by mgkw1

This is Florida, they were here long before us. Leave them alone

Trees were here before us also. Maybe we should not cut them down to build homes.

Gators are here to be eaten, make luggage and scare people, period. There is plenty of swamp in Florida for them to live in, not in a community of humans such as TV.



And for those that believe they are integral to our ecosystem, that's a big laugh.

[Gpsma]

Alligator was hungry and some stupid owner let that feces spewing, barking dope off the leash...oh, too bad, one less flee infected mongrel we have to deal with

[Hape2Bhr]

Originally Posted by MandoMan

Do you know what a “sacrificial diode” is in a water heater? It’s a replaceable metal rod that gets eaten up by ions in the water, dying so the water heater can live on. This was a “sacrificial pet.” Of course, given that a huge percentage of dogs in shelters are unwanted pit bulls, this one can be easily replaced.

I lost a "sacrificial diode" in my computer once. Guessing you meant sacrificial anode, or anode rod.

[craigrmorrison]

Hopefully the alligator was just relocated and not euthanized. Poor choice for an unsuspecting visitor.

Hopefully more people coming to The Villages will check out posts to someone of the common Facebook groups and see first hand the need to respect our native critters.

[Lea N]

Originally Posted by Tom&JenC

Maybe a sign or 2 not to walk dogs near the water. A newcomer or visitor might not know the danger. Most people here have never even seen a gator apart from a zoo.
On the other hand The Villages should have a full time alligator control crew.
Catch and release a certain percentage into the everglades and a certain percentage to market.

I agree a sign is a good idea. The owner made a deadly mistake, and their dog shouldn't have been off lead. The poor dog. This is something the owner will have to live with and they must be heartbroken.

I wish they would return the gators to the everglades too. I'm not sure if this is true or not but I've heard the reason they don't is because a female gator will return to the same spot every year, if it is a safe place for her young. Supposedly they can easily travel far.

It's hard to believe that people feed gators, but they do. Once a gator is used to being fed they expect it and have lost fear of people. Then they will attack a dog or even small child in a stroller, or walking, when they are hungry. During mating season which is May and June gators are even more dangerous.

[Altavia]

It's not helping when fishermen are teasing gators with a fish on a hook. The gators are following and chasing their fish up the bank when caught. Looks a lot like a dog on a leash...

And then there are the people feeding them...

Stupid people are making it no choice but to remove them once they see humans as a food source.

[jlstree]

Originally Posted by MDLNB

I have no problem with the idea of either moving the gator or killing it. As far as I know, they are not our friends and other than food, baggage and footwear, the only service they seem to provide is moat security. Actually, they might also be good for removing some of the lower intelligence level folks that seem to think it's great to get close to the gator and take photos of them.
Dogs are supposed to be on leash but that does not mean they deserve such a horrible ending to their lives. They provide a lot better companionship than a reptile. But, it seems that many dog owners do not have a clue as to the responsibility of pet ownership.

I agree whole heartly

[DaleDivine]

[Boffin]

Great alligator bait.

[dhdallas]

The alligator was NOT the nuisance. The unleashed dog and owner were the nuisance. The gator took care of the dog but now we need to trap and relocate the dog owner! Leave the alligator alone!

[KJ1325]

Originally Posted by TrapX

Visitor didn't understand the danger. Sadly, it cost him his dog, Alligators are a nuisance to people and neighborhoods. No such thing as a "poor alligator". They all can go away so we can enjoy the area we live in.

The alligators were here before us. It's us that have taken their land and their home.