[Rainger99]

Spanish Lakes Fairways has removed four alligators from the retention pond where a woman was killed by an alligator earlier this week.

I called The Villages when I first got here and reported an alligator that was in a nearby retention pond. They said that they won't do anything unless it attacks either a person or an animal. So apparently, they get one attack or kill before anyone does anything about them.

Predators are cleared from lake near retirement community after woman savaged to death by reptile | Daily Mail Online

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Spanish Lakes Fairways has removed four alligators from the retention pond where a woman was killed by an alligator earlier this week.

I called The Villages when I first got here and reported an alligator that was in a nearby retention pond. They said that they won't do anything unless it attacks either a person or an animal. So apparently, they get one attack or kill before anyone does anything about them.

Predators are cleared from lake near retirement community after woman savaged to death by reptile | Daily Mail Online

*Maybe* it was necessary to remove the one alligator who *might* now see humans as food but it certainly wasn't necessary to remove them all. (Note that they removed alligators from the entire community; there were not four alligators in one pond). The needless removal, and likely destruction, of a native animal behaving naturally is sad. I really hate the idea but maybe it is necessary to put fences around all the ponds to keep the foolish people away.

We enjoy looking for alligators in the ponds here.

Things to learn:
- There are alligators in the fresh water in Florida
- Walking your small dog at the edge of the water is dangerous
- Standing and watching an alligator swim across the pond towards you and your dog is a really bad idea

[Byte1]

Alligators are of no use in a populated community. They are only good for luggage, boots and cuisine.

[Dusty_Star]

Originally Posted by Byte1

Alligators are of no use in a populated community. They are only good for luggage, boots and cuisine.

Agree!!!

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

*Maybe* it was necessary to remove the one alligator who *might* now see humans as food but it certainly wasn't necessary to remove them all. (Note that they removed alligators from the entire community; there were not four alligators in one pond). The needless removal, and likely destruction, of a native animal behaving naturally is sad. I really hate the idea but maybe it is necessary to put fences around all the ponds to keep the foolish people away.

We enjoy looking for alligators in the ponds here.

Things to learn:
- There are alligators in the fresh water in Florida
- Walking your small dog at the edge of the water is dangerous
- Standing and watching an alligator swim across the pond towards you and your dog is a really bad idea

- They sometimes like to watch/follow the people fishing, often see children fishing close to the edge.

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Byte1

Alligators are of no use in a populated community. They are only good for luggage, boots and cuisine.

Same could be said of all animals, wild and domestic, insects, fish, reptiles, birds (sandhill cranes are road hazards), etc. Kill them all! "And your little dog, too."
(Hope you recognise sarcasm.)

[dewilson58]

Or, they were already scheduled to be removed.

[Pairadocs]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

*Maybe* it was necessary to remove the one alligator who *might* now see humans as food but it certainly wasn't necessary to remove them all. (Note that they removed alligators from the entire community; there were not four alligators in one pond). The needless removal, and likely destruction, of a native animal behaving naturally is sad. I really hate the idea but maybe it is necessary to put fences around all the ponds to keep the foolish people away.

We enjoy looking for alligators in the ponds here.

Things to learn:
- There are alligators in the fresh water in Florida
- Walking your small dog at the edge of the water is dangerous
- Standing and watching an alligator swim across the pond towards you and your dog is a really bad idea

Don't disagree with your comments, however, I think you have to think much deeper and in a more complex way concerning this incident. By that I mean, the emotional responses of human beings. Perhaps a majority of the residents of this community were outraged, in much the same way people (understandably) get outraged over any tragic incident. Sometimes the public PRESSURE overrides "common sense". Recent example might be train derailment in Ohio. "Officials" sometimes give "too much" weight to public pressure and this results in an OVER REACTION. In my opinion that is what happened here. As odd as it seems, sometimes an OVER REACTION, like in this case killing or removing ALL gators, will placate the masses ! ? No, it does not make "sense", but oddly enough it will usually serve to calm the emotions of the angry, frustrated, and fearful people.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Pairadocs

Don't disagree with your comments, however, I think you have to think much deeper and in a more complex way concerning this incident. By that I mean, the emotional responses of human beings. Perhaps a majority of the residents of this community were outraged, in much the same way people (understandably) get outraged over any tragic incident. Sometimes the public PRESSURE overrides "common sense". Recent example might be train derailment in Ohio. "Officials" sometimes give "too much" weight to public pressure and this results in an OVER REACTION. In my opinion that is what happened here. As odd as it seems, sometimes an OVER REACTION, like in this case killing or removing ALL gators, will placate the masses ! ? No, it does not make "sense", but oddly enough it will usually serve to calm the emotions of the angry, frustrated, and fearful people.

Over reactions to calm the emotions of angry, frustrated, and fearful people often result in events that history remembers as tragedies. I have no doubt that what you say is correct, I just wish we could move beyond the emotional over reaction to more rational responses. This time it is just alligators but what/who will it be next time?

[Stu from NYC]

Perhaps a fence is in order but the alligators were here first.

[Battlebasset]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Spanish Lakes Fairways has removed four alligators from the retention pond where a woman was killed by an alligator earlier this week.

I called The Villages when I first got here and reported an alligator that was in a nearby retention pond. They said that they won't do anything unless it attacks either a person or an animal. So apparently, they get one attack or kill before anyone does anything about them.

Predators are cleared from lake near retirement community after woman savaged to death by reptile | Daily Mail Online

I have a retention pond behind my house. It was the feature that sold me on my place - open space behind us and water. There is a three foot retention wall with a roughly 3 foot+ vertical bar fence on top of it. So no real worries about a gator getting into my back yard.

All that said - I never put my small dog in the backyard without me there. She could easily squeeze between the lateral bars. And I never go into the pond area. We saw a gator the first month we were here, and we almost see one daily now. It's fun to watch them lay around on the bank, and when the water is low, there is a sandbar near the drainage pipe he/she likes to lay on. It's almost like he is on top of the water. Our guests love it. The most I had in NJ were stupid deer that destroyed my landscaping and made my yard look like cow pasture.

Stay away from the ponds, use common sense, and you won't have a problem.

[Bogie Shooter]

How many people have been attacked in the history of The Villages?

[Byte1]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Perhaps a fence is in order but the alligators were here first.

So were our indigenous natives. We are at the top of the food chain, therefore if we find them(gators) dangerous and of no practical use other than something to look at and say "Oh look!" then they can be removed. Oh my, someone cleared a forest in order to build homes for PEOPLE. What a shame. They were here first. Folks need to wake up (not WOKE) and realize that if we want to exist, we have to step on ants, kill plants and animals in order to eat, etc. If gators present a danger then they need to be removed, whether someone wishes to move them to another, safer environment or just destroy them. This is a residential community, not a wildlife sanctuary.

[Byte1]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

How many people have been attacked in the history of The Villages?

I would think that even one attack would be too much.

[MSchad]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Spanish Lakes Fairways has removed four alligators from the retention pond where a woman was killed by an alligator earlier this week.

I called The Villages when I first got here and reported an alligator that was in a nearby retention pond. They said that they won't do anything unless it attacks either a person or an animal. So apparently, they get one attack or kill before anyone does anything about them.

Predators are cleared from lake near retirement community after woman savaged to death by reptile | Daily Mail Online

Moose are next….
Moose kicking a woman in the head while walking her dog in Alaska