[kendi]

Wildlife expert from TV academy said fish are 80% of alligators diet. Since they are in just about every body of water seems fish would be too. I’m Certainly not an expert though. It’s just a thought.

[ehonour]

Built a house over in Melbourne thirty years ago adjacent to wetlands. Had the contractor dig a large pond (20'x40') in the back yard, using the dirt to build up the foundation. Never did any stocking of that pond, but fish showed up anyway. Lots of water birds, etc. A family of otters would come in about twice a year and take a couple of hours to harvest fish. (A delight to watch them.) Nature works.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by ehonour

Built a house over in Melbourne thirty years ago adjacent to wetlands. Had the contractor dig a large pond (20'x40') in the back yard, using the dirt to build up the foundation. Never did any stocking of that pond, but fish showed up anyway. Lots of water birds, etc. A family of otters would come in about twice a year and take a couple of hours to harvest fish. (A delight to watch them.) Nature works.

The Pelican's will clean all the larger fish out of a lake in a day or two also.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Altavia

The Pelican's will clean all the larger fish out of a lake in a day or two also.

They are very good at herding the fish and than having dinner.

[krick093]

Why in hell would anyone spend good money stocking ponds simply to feed the migrating water fowl? Another dumb idea on TOTV.

[MillerD]

When and what area? I never read this.

I've lived in FL all my life and I do not like gators. Some think they are cute or interesting and a dinosaur. Actually, they are not dinosaurs. Some birds are though.

[cjrjck]

Originally Posted by Altavia

We've had problems with alligators going for the fish they caught.

A gater started following fishermen around a pond and aggressively chasing their catch up the bank.

That gator had to be removed when it started following non-fishermen around as they walked a nearby MMP.

So please, if you fish, avoid doing it within sightings of gators.

If that were the rule, then I wouldn't get much fishing done in TV. Most of the ponds have a gator or two and they are usually curious and lack fear of humans. Personally, when it comes to the isolated retention ponds like you see mostly north of 44, I think all of the alligators should be relocated. They are a nuisance at a minimum and a potential threat to small mammals (pets) and people in many cases. Once relocated, due to the isolation of many of the ponds, it may take years before another alligator finds a home there.

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by kendi

Wildlife expert from TV academy said fish are 80% of alligators diet. Since they are in just about every body of water seems fish would be too. I’m Certainly not an expert though. It’s just a thought.

you are correct. i was told the stocked fish are the main food supply of the gators, & helps keep them from hunting other creatures.

[Dgodin]

Never occurred to me the ponds are stocked. Ive never seen it done here.

[cjrjck]

Originally Posted by PugMom

you are correct. i was told the stocked fish are the main food supply of the gators, & helps keep them from hunting other creatures.

Any of the ponds stocked with the assistance of the Freshwater Fishing Club was clearly done so for the benefit of recreational fishing and not alligators.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by krick093

Why in hell would anyone spend good money stocking ponds simply to feed the migrating water fowl? Another dumb idea on TOTV.

Like see the wildlife here and if it costs a few bucks for ponds to be stocked for their food so be it.

[cjrjck]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Like see the wildlife here and if it costs a few bucks for ponds to be stocked for their food so be it.

I find it silly to believe that TV spends money on expensive gamefish to feed alligators. They are stocked for fishing. Other species of fish will naturally end up in the ponds, mainly due to birds, and they are undoubtably consumed by alligators, but they are a far cry from the gamefish purposely added to the ponds.

[frayedends]

Originally Posted by dhdallas

Go right ahead. The alligators will be more than happy to see you standing at the water's edge. Gators can move at 35mph over short distances. They are not normally aggressive but if a food source is right there and it's an easy grab, they may go for it. There was a woman at another community earlier this year walking her dog by a pond's edge when an alligator came up on the shore after the dog. The dog ran away & in front of the woman so the alligator grabbed the woman by the leg, dragged her into the pond and ate her. I enjoy seeing the alligators but I tend to give them a wide berth. Kind of like bees, you leave them alone, they leave you alone (unless you do something stupid).

I will avoid fishing in the small retention pond then. I would not want to have to shoot a gator.

[dhdallas]

Originally Posted by dhdallas

Go right ahead. The alligators will be more than happy to see you standing at the water's edge. Gators can move at 35mph over short distances. They are not normally aggressive but if a food source is right there and it's an easy grab, they may go for it. There was a woman at another community earlier this year walking her dog by a pond's edge when an alligator came up on the shore after the dog. The dog ran away & in front of the woman so the alligator grabbed the woman by the leg, dragged her into the pond and ate her. I enjoy seeing the alligators but I tend to give them a wide berth. Kind of like bees, you leave them alone, they leave you alone (unless you do something stupid).

Recent incident (just to illustrate my point):
On Friday, September 22, 2023, a resident of Largo, Florida stumbled upon a horrifying scene while walking along 134th Avenue near McKay Creek, just west of 121st Street. At approximately 1:45 p.m., the individual noticed an alligator with what appeared to be part of a human body in its mouth. From the canal, authorities retrieved an adult human torso and reports suggesting the possibility of one or two additional limbs.

Source:
09/22/2023 - Largo, FL
Resident calls authorities after seeing an alligator with human remains in its mouth in a Pinellas canal - IONTB

NOTE: Alligator attacks are extremely rare in Florida especially considering the thousands or people who swim, fish, and kayak/paddleboard on Florida lakes, rivers, and canals, so this is why when one does happen it makes front page news.

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by cjrjck

If that were the rule, then I wouldn't get much fishing done in TV. Most of the ponds have a gator or two and they are usually curious and lack fear of humans. Personally, when it comes to the isolated retention ponds like you see mostly north of 44, I think all of the alligators should be relocated. They are a nuisance at a minimum and a potential threat to small mammals (pets) and people in many cases. Once relocated, due to the isolation of many of the ponds, it may take years before another alligator finds a home there.

There is no relocation of alligators.
Report an alligator, it will be trapped and killed.
The only Village alligator to get lucky was Larry.