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Florida Alligators
The Peril that Lurks as People and Reptiles Flourish in Florida
By Andrew C. Revkin, NY Times, June 15, 2016
The Orlando area continues to reel, most recently after a two-year-old boy, relaxing with his family in shallows along the white-sand beach of the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Walt Disney World Resort, was snatched by an alligator Tuesday night. This afternoon, authorities said divers found the body of the toddler, Lane Graves of Elkhorn, Neb., in the murky water not far from where he vanished.
After the grieving, there will be investigations and fingerpointing. (The Orlando Sentinel quoted a resort employee describing how some guests may have been adding to the general risk by feeding alligators, “thinking it’s cool.”)
But the tension between wild things and humans will continue to build in the subtropical state, where spreading development puts people--many of them newcomers or visitors like the unfortunate Nebraska family at the Disney resort--in contact both with thriving indigenous species like alligators and sometimes with invaders, like Burmese pythons.
The Disney park is about as artificial and sanitized as a landscape can be--a whimsical universe of its own, filled with fantastical castles and amusements, groomed golf courses, gleaming hotels, sprawling parking lots and surrounded by condo complexes and gated communities. But the resort and neighboring communities sprawl amid a maze of canals, streams and sinkholes that connect, on the west, to the 560,000-acre Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve and, to the north, to Lake Apopka--the third largest lake in the state. Zoom in on Google Earth and you’ll get the idea.
Over all, incidents like the Disney attack remain very rare despite Florida’s growth in recent decades. The state’s wildlife agency says the frequency of unprovoked bites--currently about seven a year--has been increasing about 3 percent each year. But the odds of a resident being seriously injured during an unprovoked alligator encounter are roughly one in 2.4 million.
Most of the peril is on the nonhuman side of what scientists call the “wildland-urban interface.” In most places, this interface is a boundary; in flourishing subtropical Florida, it’s essentially everywhere. April saw nine Florida panthers killed by vehicles--the highest toll since officials have been trying to restore populations of the endangered cat. Slow-moving manatees have long been imperiled by speedboats, so much so that Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo has a manatee hospital.
In just a few decades, the American alligator has gone from near extinction to thriving to being a target.
Pressed by hunting and habitat loss along its range from Florida west to coastal Texas and north to South Carolina, the species was so depleted that by 1966 federal wildlife officials deemed it was in danger of vanishing and extended legal protections to the reptile.
Now there are more than 1 million alligators in Florida, and the number being killed is rising every year. Between 1984 and 2014 (the most recent year for published data), the number of wild alligators caught and killed annually in the state has grown from 2,472 to 18,243. A third of that most recent harvest was “nuisance” gators, individuals at least four feet long that are “believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property.”
I first wrote about human-gator conflicts in 1988, and Florida wildlife officers were already feeling overwhelmed by the rate of calls from new residents alarmed about an alligator by the pool or golf tee.
In that story, I focused on Lt. Dick Lawrence, a wildlife officer for the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission based near West Palm Beach. Even then, more than half of his time was devoted to answering alligator complaints.
He described how development was rapidly spreading inland from the state’s sparkling shores toward its flat, wet, sparsely populated interior, where ranks of expensive homes were rising on terrain that was transmogrified swamp.
“The fact is, what we have here isn’t a gator problem, it’s a people problem,” he told me. “But what am I supposed to do, refuse to catch one? There’s always the chance that the alligator will do somebody harm, and I’d look pretty foolish.”
The state’s 19 million humans have to share a warm, wet ecosystem with a mashup of rebounding indigenous creatures like alligators and introduced animals and plants, with 37 species of reptile alone now considered established, with names reflecting Florida’s ecological globalization: Nile monitor lizard, African redhead agama, Burmese python. (I’ve written quite a bit about that last species, and had one brush my foot during the reporting.)
The most disturbing recent arrival--thankfully not (yet) established--is the Nile crocodile, which can weigh close to a ton, take down a wildebeest and is a famed man killer. Nicholas Bakalar, on the science staff of The Times, summarized that foreboding finding in May:
The Nile crocodile, which inhabits sub-Saharan Africa, can grow to 21 feet long and weigh one and a half tons. It eats just about anything--including humans. Kenneth L. Krysko, an author of the study that describes the animals, said that there was no indication that the crocodiles were reproducing. Still, he said, “This is a very big predator, and now we’ve introduced it into Florida. This is not a good thing.”
Not a good thing, indeed.
Florida has published a very helpful Guide to Living with Alligators. Here’s hoping the state doesn’t have to write a companion volume for that deadlier crocodilian cousin.
How To Vacation In Florida Safely
How To Vacation In Florida Safely
After the terrible tragedy of the death of Lane Graves getting taken and drowned by an alligator at a Disney Resort, I decided to write this post to share what I know about vacationing in Florida. My heart is broken for the family and reminds me of what our family was like several years ago with their little ones and like us, a Catholic family. This is a wound only God can heal and they are in…
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New Post has been published on Gabvine
New Post has been published on http://www.gabvine.com/alligators-feeding-on-human-remains/162564
Florida Alligators Found Feeding On Human Remains [Watch Video]
Having alligators around the area is common in Florida. Some even like to walk across a golf course. But this time, it was unlikely that these Florida alligators were found feasting on someone.
Last Monday evening, the police responded to a call from a fisherman who saw alligators and a body nearby. When the police got to the scene, what they found at a canal in the town of Southwest Ranches was quite gruesome. The alligators were in the water feeding on the human body!
Sgt. Pablo Castaneda, the spokesman for Davie Police Department, confirms that the alligators did get to the body, but they were able to shoo them away and gather what was left of the man. According to Sun Sentinel:
A dive team was called in, as officers armed with AR-15 rifles stood ready to shoot any approaching alligators. An alligator trapper from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was sent to the scene. When the body was removed from the water about 10 p.m., four alligators were seen in the area, Engle said.
Sgt. Castaneda also confirmed that the man was already dead before the reptiles got to him. According to CNN:
Investigators don’t believe the alligators killed the person, Davie police Capt. David Engle said. While they don’t know how long the remains had been at the canal, Castaneda said it seemed it had been ‘a while.’
http://www.gabvine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Davie-Police_-Alligator-Spotted-Feeding-On-Human-Remains-Found-In-Canal.mp4
Now, the police are treating this case as a homicide until proven otherwise. The medical examiner will try to salvage whatever was left with the remains and hopefully identify the cause of death and the identity of the victim.
We want to identify who the victim is and possibly figure out what happened to them and how did they end up here. Could it be homicide? Could it be suicide? Could it have involved a fisherman? We don’t know.
– Sgt. Pablo Castaneda, Davie Police Department to Sun Sentinel
Although alligators are known to be deadly, there have been no recent reports about these reptiles attacking any locals of Florida. Who else was glad that the alligators were not the perpetrators and were not killed by the police? But what happened to the victim is still very saddening, and hopefully, the police will be able to identify the man and give him proper justice.
Image & video: YouTube
New Post has been published on Black Hammock - Central Florida Airboat Rides
New Post has been published on http://www.blackhammockairboatrides.com/alligators-black-hammock/
Alligators at the Black Hammock
When you visit the Black Hammock you are greeted by the gators in our free wildlife exhibit. However, you may not be aware that you are also being watched! Black Hammock is located on Lake Jesup just north of Orlando. It is the large lake you cross when traveling on 417. Lake Jesup is unique because it is widely known for hosting the largest alligator population in all of Florida. This lake is a truly ideal location to take an airboat ride because of it’s abundant wildlife.
So how do you spot these spectacular creatures? When walking around the Black Hammock peninsula you will see a canopied outdoor terrace by our lakeside bar. Look to your left; where the airboats are located. You will often see alligators basking in the grass area. Look closely! You will notice the ridges from their backs and tails slightly above the water.
Walk past the airboats further down the peninsula and look for breaks in the water. Often times alligators look like a log or two small bumps. The bumps are their eyes and nose. If you glance around and across the peninsula you may see larger gators basking in the sun as well. Gators have a natural fear of humans and you should never feed them! It is also illegal to feed them.
When taking an airboat ride at the Black Hammock your captain will do most of the spotting for you! All you have to do is bring your camera. Your airboat captain is highly experienced and often knows the nesting locations and can easily spot a hiding alligator for you to see. The airboat ride also includes a tour of bird island which provides for many photo opportunities. Black Hammock is a unique attraction both on the lake and on shore. If you are tired of the same old theme parks then come visit us! Free wifi on the terrance now available!