[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Byte1

So, if I have my CCW at the time I witness an attack, what do you think would happen if I shot and killed the 'gator? I would, but everyone knows what would happen to me legally, right?

In FL? You'd probably receive a medal...

I believe it is ridiculous for folks to say, if you don't like or fear 'gators then you should move somewhere else. I guess if I don't like rattlesnakes or other poisonous snakes, I should not have them removed or killed, right? I should move because they were here first? How about coyotes? They are NOT native to Florida, yet here they are running free through the Villages. Dogs have to be on lease, but coyotes are not. Most likely and most of the time they will run away from you, but if they are hungry and see your little dog on a lease, they will attempt to attack the dog. And they WILL attack people also. One attempted to attack my spouse when we lived up North and I chased it away. After that, I shot at every one of them that crossed my land. Farmers paid $500 each for coyotes shot on their farms.

Habitat: Coyotes are native to North America. Once strictly a western species, coyotes now occur throughout the eastern United States. Coyotes began expanding their range into northwestern Florida in the 1970s, and are now considered to be a naturalized species in all 67 Florida counties.

I love animals, but I also respect their dangerous and wild nature. Children and seniors should not have to fear bird watching at the ponds, or fishing. This is NOT a natural habitat for alligators. They should be removed and placed in a more natural habitat or like I said before, used at footwear, luggage and/or food.

This place is is full of wetlands and swamps. Which is EXACTLY their natural habitat...

We eat chickens and cattle and give it no thought. We wear leather shoes and coats made of cowhide, pig, sheep and horse hide. We also use deer skin for clothing. I am not going to cry over the removal of a reptile that I can see on National Geographic or at the 'gator farm a few miles away.
Please don't kill the bugs that invade your house, because this is their natural habitat.....

Inside my home is NOT a natural habitat for bugs... Maybe yours is, but who am I to judge?

They hunt alligators in the swamps all of the time... I'd love me a pair of alligator boots! Plus, I've had alligator tail on multiple occasions...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Maker

Thank you for pointing out that removing a few hundred alligators from the villages ponds would have zero impact on the total population elsewhere.

Or is this another attempt to deflect to some other conversation by making a wildly unrelated statement about the entire coountry? This is about the villages only. A retirement community of mostly older people and lots of visitors who are generally unaware of the dangers posed by doing routine things such as walking on designated pathways.

You seem to forget that they would be back in a matter of months...

[Maker]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

You seem to forget that they would be back in a matter of months...

It would be ongoing. Easy to find them initially, but eventually there would be few, if none. Start in the new areas of the south (where there are none yet in the new ponds) and work north. Recheck as needed.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Maker

It would be ongoing. Easy to find them initially, but eventually there would be few, if none. Start in the new areas of the south (where there are none yet in the new ponds) and work north. Recheck as needed.

The fact that you actually think there are no gators in the south is pretty funny.

The amount of wetlands there dwarfs the that of the northern areas... To quote Dr. Ian Malcom: "Life finds a way..."

[spinner1001]

Originally Posted by Maker

… the new areas of the south (where there are none yet in the new ponds) …

No.

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by Maker

There are plenty of paths right next to the ponds. A reasonable person would assume that they are safe because someone with superior knowledge of this place chose to place them there. But they are not safe. Far from it. You even support that fact by saying everyone needs to change their behaviors. Simply by walking on a path you assumed to be safe, you are putting yourself at risk.
What about alligators wandering away from the ponds looking for food? Lurking hidden in unexpected places? What behavior do we need to change for that?
Changing behaviors isn't a practical solution, especially when guests and children are considered.

As my brother who lives there would say, regarding dangerous wild life.
"Don't ever go to Australia mate, you'll Go Troppo!"

[Normal]

Beautiful areas will always have their dangers. You could vacation in Australia, lay on a beach, and get eaten by a saltwater crocodile too. Gators in Florida come with the territory.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

You seem to forget that they would be back in a matter of months...

Job security for the people that remove the alligators.

[Maker]

Do you know how an alligator kills? They hide. You won't see them, even when just a few feet away. You are their target, and you don't know it. They move very fast and can easily outrun humans.
When they grab onto you, their jaws clamp on with a force like a cement truck crushing your body. Dozens of ragged teeth pierce your muscles, and start to shatter your bones. The pain is incredible as you helplessly watch it all happen.
The alligator then will flip around, taking you with him. Smashing the rest of your body into the ground, breaking most of the bones in your arms and legs. That really hurts too.
All that pain is soon exceeded as the alligator bites harder into the chunk of your body he first bit into. Shatters bones, twists and attacks harder. He rips it off your body and swallows. You want to get away, but you can't - remember your leg and arm bones are broken. You are forced to watch what is going to happen next.
But things don't end there. He's still hungry and bites you somewhere else. Maybe in your side, tearing a gaping hole in your chest, extending into your stomach, ribs and lungs. The pain is far worse than anything you felt so far, or have ever imagined.
You pray the next bite is to your heart or head to finally end this.
After a minute, the pain is starting to fade, but only because you are near death.

Remember these comforting thoughts as you die: I was a stupid person for walking on a path; others said this never happens; alligators are cute to look at; and they were here first.

Make the villages safer by removing every alligator here. Start now and continue for as long as needed. If it takes years, then get started now.
I choose Human life over alligators.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Maker

Do you know how an alligator kills? They hide. You won't see them, even when just a few feet away. You are their target, and you don't know it. They move very fast and can easily outrun humans.
When they grab onto you, their jaws clamp on with a force like a cement truck crushing your body. Dozens of ragged teeth pierce your muscles, and start to shatter your bones. The pain is incredible as you helplessly watch it all happen.
The alligator then will flip around, taking you with him. Smashing the rest of your body into the ground, breaking most of the bones in your arms and legs. That really hurts too.
All that pain is soon exceeded as the alligator bites harder into the chunk of your body he first bit into. Shatters bones, twists and attacks harder. He rips it off your body and swallows. You want to get away, but you can't - remember your leg and arm bones are broken. You are forced to watch what is going to happen next.
But things don't end there. He's still hungry and bites you somewhere else. Maybe in your side, tearing a gaping hole in your chest, extending into your stomach, ribs and lungs. The pain is far worse than anything you felt so far, or have ever imagined.
You pray the next bite is to your heart or head to finally end this.
After a minute, the pain is starting to fade, but only because you are near death.

Remember these comforting thoughts as you die: I was a stupid person for walking on a path; others said this never happens; alligators are cute to look at; and they were here first.

Make the villages safer by removing every alligator here. Start now and continue for as long as needed. If it takes years, then get started now.
I choose Human life over alligators.

That sounds HORRIBLE!

Good thing it pretty much never happens...

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Maker

Do you know how an alligator kills? They hide. You won't see them, even when just a few feet away. You are their target, and you don't know it. They move very fast and can easily outrun humans.
When they grab onto you, their jaws clamp on with a force like a cement truck crushing your body. Dozens of ragged teeth pierce your muscles, and start to shatter your bones. The pain is incredible as you helplessly watch it all happen.
The alligator then will flip around, taking you with him. Smashing the rest of your body into the ground, breaking most of the bones in your arms and legs. That really hurts too.
All that pain is soon exceeded as the alligator bites harder into the chunk of your body he first bit into. Shatters bones, twists and attacks harder. He rips it off your body and swallows. You want to get away, but you can't - remember your leg and arm bones are broken. You are forced to watch what is going to happen next.
But things don't end there. He's still hungry and bites you somewhere else. Maybe in your side, tearing a gaping hole in your chest, extending into your stomach, ribs and lungs. The pain is far worse than anything you felt so far, or have ever imagined.
You pray the next bite is to your heart or head to finally end this.
After a minute, the pain is starting to fade, but only because you are near death.

Remember these comforting thoughts as you die: I was a stupid person for walking on a path; others said this never happens; alligators are cute to look at; and they were here first.

Make the villages safer by removing every alligator here. Start now and continue for as long as needed. If it takes years, then get started now.
I choose Human life over alligators.

Hey! That was good. Very scary graphic horror story. Zombie apocalypse, but with gators, hiding under cars, in bushes, jumping from the trees. How about Gatornado? Like Sharknado, but with gators. Scary!
If you don't want to write horror stories, you could try anti-animal propaganda. "MTVGA! Kill all alligators". The truth is you are in far greater danger every time you go shopping or go out to eat. No need to over react to a very sad, but unusual incident.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Maker

...

Remember these comforting thoughts as you die: I was a stupid person for walking on a path; others said this never happens; alligators are cute to look at; and they were here first.

Make the villages safer by removing every alligator here. Start now and continue for as long as needed. If it takes years, then get started now.
I choose Human life over alligators.

Originally Posted by JMintzer

That sounds HORRIBLE!

Good thing it pretty much never happens...

It has never happened in the Villages - at least no one has presented an article about it every happening when I challenged them to do that. Hard to reduce the number of alligator deaths in the Villages to less than zero.

It has also never happened on a path. People who stray off the paths in other areas have had problems, particularly when they stray off the path and to the very edge, or into, the water.

"I choose human life over alligators." Nice statement, but isn't true. With zero deaths from alligators in the Villages and zero deaths from alligators when away from the water, human life isn't part of the choice. Be honest, you want to choose killing the alligators regardless of any risk.

You (Maker) also only want to "choose human life" when it comes to alligators. You disregarded every other risk to human life that was presented, even those that result in over 90 times more deaths. Your messaging is terribly inconsistent which raises serious doubts about your true goal.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

It has never happened in the Villages - at least no one has presented an article about it every happening when I challenged them to do that. Hard to reduce the number of alligator deaths in the Villages to less than zero.

It has also never happened on a path. People who stray off the paths in other areas have had problems, particularly when they stray off the path and to the very edge, or into, the water.

"I choose human life over alligators." Nice statement, but isn't true. With zero deaths from alligators in the Villages and zero deaths from alligators when away from the water, human life isn't part of the choice. Be honest, you want to choose killing the alligators regardless of any risk.

You (Maker) also only want to "choose human life" when it comes to alligators. You disregarded every other risk to human life that was presented, even those that result in over 90 times more deaths. Your messaging is terribly inconsistent which raises serious doubts about your true goal.

Actually, I was talking about FL, in general...

Earlier in this thread, I posted the actual statistics on the topic...

And his "true goal"?

My guess is they're "terribly afraid of alligators", so they want them all gone...

Hell, every time I see that picture someone posted of a banana spider on a golf cart, I want to...



-Ripley, from the movie "Aliens"...

[Eagle06]

Gators are a part of living in the SouthEastern United States. You can’t remove everyone of them just because they are there. Fish and Games has guidelines for removing nuisance Gators and for when to relocate or Euthanize. Be aware of your surroundings and avoid the Gators the same as you would a wild bear or rattlesnake.

[Maker]

What happens because of other animals and insects is not relevant to alligators. If you have a problem with those, start a thread about them.

In accident investigations, when there are "near misses" that have happened, it is a leading indicator that something worse is likely to happen in the future unless corrective action is taken now. I'm sure the neighbors around the 95y woman that got killed also said it would never happen. Then it did happen. I don't buy into the "it will never happen" concept, when it already has happened. We have the choice to make things safer, or wait for another incident.