Alligators are a part of life in Florida, sometimes a dangerous part of life

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.

 

Gator bites have been on the rise in recent years – moving from about 1 every three years to now about 7 per year.

 

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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