ALLIGATOR SAFETY TIPS

We're now up to three deaths (all women) in one week due to Alligators (two confirmed, one virtually certain because the woman was missing parts of her shoulder and one arm). These deaths in three different sections of the state (Northcentral Florida – Marion County, Westcentral Florida – Pinellas County, Southeastern Florida – Broward County). The most troubling to me was the death in Marion County where a Tennessee woman who used to live in Ocala was snorkeling in Juniper Creek, near a popular swimming hole – Sweetwater Springs. The pictured spring in this post is of another nearby popular spot in the Ocala National Forest, Fern Hammock Springs but I'm sure they are similar. Speculation is certainly going into overdrive and the Gainesville Sun tries to engage in some reasonable, straight-up reporting on what in the world you might be able to do if you find yourself in such a situation. Initially, in this extended excerpt, they are quoting Kent Vliet, an alligator biologist in the University of Florida's department of zoology:

"The alligator isn't really looking under the water. It sees what's above the water," he said. "If someone struggles, the alligator will realize it's gotten a hold of much more than it intended."

That's exactly what happened to Joseph Noling, a UF entomology and nematology professor in the college's Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred.

He was swimming in five feet of water at Lake Whistler in Auburndale, Polk County, last month when an alligator swam in front of him and bit his shoulder.

"To the gator, I looked more like a duck than anything else because I was almost completely submerged in the water. When I stood up, he realized I wasn't a duck anymore," Noling said.

The professor did something else right, too: he screamed as loud as he could.

Vliet, the alligator biologist, said any kind of a commotion will help to scare an alligator away.

"Look as big as you can, yell at him, make some noise, splash some water. You can often scare them off," Vliet said.

He said any body of water could have an alligator in it, even if it was free of alligators the day before.

He said people should stay a safe distance -15 to 20 feet- from alligators, even if they're just sunning on a bank. When trying to get past an alligator, make sure not to walk between the alligator and the water, because if it's spooked, it's going to run to the water.

He cautioned against swimming in lakes and rivers that aren't designated swimming areas. It's especially important not to swim in the evening or the early morning. Alligators feed at nighttime and in the early morning hours, and their night vision is better than that of humans, he said.

I did a quick search looking for some basic alligator safety tips and found this advisory on the U.F. Website:

As Florida's human population grows each day, land development continues to encroach on alligator habitats and the frequency of contact between people and alligators increases. Alligators are sometimes found in backyards, swimming pools, ditches, drainage ponds, etc.

Although the enormous reptiles are primarily docile, they are dangerous, especially when surprised by an intruder or while protecting the nest and young. Between 1972 and 1990, 127 alligator attacks against humans were reported in Florida, and five fatalities occurred. Alligators larger than six feet pose the greatest threat to humans and their pets, but a bite from a smaller alligator can result in a dangerous infection.

Still, the risk of being attacked by an alligator is minimal. The number of incidences are slight compared to other water-related accidents involving activities such as scuba, boating, swimming, jetskiing, and water skiing. (Did you know that an average of 150 people per year are killed worldwide by falling coconuts? Or that from 1959 to 2003, lightning killed 425 people in the Sunshine State.)

Alligators have a natural shyness and fear of humans. In most cases, an alligator will retreat when confronted by people. Unfortunately, many Floridians and tourists violate Florida law by feeding wild alligators. Feeding causes the alligator to overcome its natural fear of humans and it begins to associate people with food. As a result, it becomes a 'nuisance' alligator. Each year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission receives more than 10,000 alligator related complaints and over 4,000 alligators are captured and relocated annually. Still, an increasing number of nuisance alligators are killed each year because relocation habitats are dwindling.

Although rapid development continues to deplete the alligator's natural habitat, conflicts with alligators can be reduced by using common sense and following simple guidelines.

ALLIGATOR SAFETY TIPS

Alligators should never be approached.

Stay in restricted, designated swimming areas.

Swim with a partner.

Avoid swimming at night or dusk.

Avoid shorelines with thick vegetation.

Never feed, entice or approach an alligator.

Educate others about the dangers of approaching or feeding alligators.

Never throw food, such as bait, in the water or on shore.

Do not allow pets to swim in areas with alligators.

Do not allow pets to swim in swimming areas. They resemble the alligator's natural prey, and may attract them.

It is illegal to possess, handle, or harass an alligator. Only representatives of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) or people permitted by the FWC are legally authorized to handle an alligator in the wild. Sometimes alligators are sold through the illegal pet trade. The reptiles will not become tame in captivity and handlers are frequently bitten.

Alligators can be safely observed and admired at a variety of state parks, wildlife refuges, and attractions throughout Florida.

Our summer rains began here in my corner of North Florida about two weeks ago but Tallahassee is in the easternmost section of the Panhandle – Northwest Florida. Most folks and most of our state's habitat is still dry, dry, dry.

Hopefully this is simply a fluke occurrence. Otherwise, this is going to be one hell of a summer.

Comments

[kristen eastman]

thank you so much for this article. it has helped me a lot in my studies on alligators and i appreciate the tips!

[RattlerGator]

You're certainly welcome. I'm glad it was of some benefit.