Alligators are a part of life in Florida, sometimes a dangerous
part of life.
This is the time of year that Florida’s alligators begin to get
more active– which means human/ gator contact is guaranteed.
Over the past 70 years there have about 440 unprovoked bite incidents in Florida, twenty-six of the
bites resulted in people being killed by wild alligators.
Most gators want nothing to do with humans, but every now and then
a gator will show up in someone’s yard or in a popular swimming hole, and then
the state steps in.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hire hunters
to remove nuisance gators when necessary.
They get about 16 thousand calls a year – and remove about a third
of the gators.
To minimize human contact with Alligators, the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission recommends staying out of waters inhabited by
large gators, especially at night when gators actively feed.
You should also never feed an alligator.
Not only is it illegal, but it teaches the gator to equate humans
with food.
When cleaning fish don’t dump the remains in lakes or rivers where
people swim or launch boats.
You can find out more about living with alligators on-line at
myfwc.com/alligators.
If you should encounter an alligator in a location where it could
bother people, report it immediately to the Florida Nuisance Alligator
Hotline at 866-392-4286.
That’s 866-FWC-GATOR.
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