View Full Version : Gator problem in Florida
Ripped Mass
05-17-2006, 07:26 AM
I for one am very say sad to see what's happening here. I have a few alligators that live around my house and I personally love em. Lately there a been a public scare due to 3 people getting eaten. Now most of those people got eaten because they lost repsect for what gators can do. One lady was visiting my state, Florida, and was swimming in a lake. Now most people know that most fresh bodies of water in Florida have a few gators in them. when you swim its a risk you take.
I admire the alligators because one they are tough as hell. They can be hit by cars and the flip the car. They also can take shots from guns. Yesterday a local officer went to investigate calls of an aggresive gator roaming neighborhood streets. Well the officer being scared shot the gator with a rifle in the head. Guess what, the gator just turned around and walked away.
Two alligators and crocs are some of the most advanced reptiles left. They been around for a long time constantly changing and evolving. Did you know that a alligator has a four chambered heart. That means alligators have a circulatory system much more advanced then most reptiles and more similar to our own.
I understand why people are scared. In the water if they really want to eat you they are going to eat. Most fresh water is murky. I myself have been snuck up on by a gator while fishing from a shoreline. But lucky for me it was small and skiddish and it just swam away. But gators are dark for a reason. You cant see them rising up until its too late. The gator by me rose up right by my feet and i didnt even see him until is eyes poke out of the water. Also if one grabs you and drags you into the water you are pretty much dead. But no one should really get grabbed unless they are fishing. The people that play by the waters edge are asking for it. But most alligators dont hunt humans anyways and avoid them.
All Im saying is dont be fooled by the media hype. People are getting to close to the alligators not the other way around. The only one who died reasonably was that model girl. Its hypothesized that she was jogging and took a break and sat down by the canal and thats when the gator grabbed her leg and dragged her in.
http://www.elcastaneda.com/images/Alligators.jpg
http://www.floridatravelusa.com/images7/jan05alligators1.jpg
I have had many encounters with gators in the swamps of south AL - mostly while hog hunting. I absolutely despise them for the same reason that I despise venomous snakes, I think they are evil. I don't think a gator has done anything to make itself evil, they are just born that way. I have no problem with them living in the swamps and wild places - that is their domain.
If it were up to me anyone anywhere could completely eradicate them on their own property at their own discretion. We will always have wildlife refuges, state parks, national parks and zoos so we can go see one if we want to.
There is nothing more terrible to me than to hear one of my dogs (that was literally born in my lap and raised as a member of my family) yelp and even though I run as hard as I can, I arrive just in time to see the last bit of life fade out of my baby's eyes while being crushed by a horrible, cold monster. A monster that is protected (ostensibly anyway - there is no protection for anyone or anything that has wronged me in such a manner) by my government yet despised by anyone who has animals on their property.
As you can probably tell, I have issues with gators and anything else that will kill my children or my pets out of hand. I respect the right of anyone to have any opinion they desire but I think forcing me to allow dangerous things to live on my property is morally wrong.
Ripped Mass
05-18-2006, 08:41 AM
I have had many encounters with gators in the swamps of south AL - mostly while hog hunting. I absolutely despise them for the same reason that I despise venomous snakes, I think they are evil. I don't think a gator has done anything to make itself evil, they are just born that way. I have no problem with them living in the swamps and wild places - that is their domain.
If it were up to me anyone anywhere could completely eradicate them on their own property at their own discretion. We will always have wildlife refuges, state parks, national parks and zoos so we can go see one if we want to.
There is nothing more terrible to me than to hear one of my dogs (that was literally born in my lap and raised as a member of my family) yelp and even though I run as hard as I can, I arrive just in time to see the last bit of life fade out of my baby's eyes while being crushed by a horrible, cold monster. A monster that is protected (ostensibly anyway - there is no protection for anyone or anything that has wronged me in such a manner) by my government yet despised by anyone who has animals on their property.
As you can probably tell, I have issues with gators and anything else that will kill my children or my pets out of hand. I respect the right of anyone to have any opinion they desire but I think forcing me to allow dangerous things to live on my property is morally wrong.If they go on your property then you SHOULD get rid of them. There is a balance you know. There are gators that fear people and gators that dont. The only way gators can coexsist with people is if you remove the gators that dont fear people. That said gators will eat your pets. I had a dog for 10 years and loved him death. If he got eaten by alligators i met i want to kill them too but you have to understand something. you can just turn the entire country in a suburban neighborhood. There is going to some areas wear some wild animals live and there is naturally going to be a predatory animal to keep them in check. Panthers and wolves used to run around SE us too but they were almost eradicated. Now honestly i'd rather have gators then panthers. Although I would care if panthers made a comeback. But think about walking out of your house at night and a panther sitting a bush watching your every movement. Hunting you. Now im just rambling. my basic point is yeah i see where you are coming from but i think there should be a balance. but what is happening in florida right now is people are looking for gators and having them removed or killed. Gators that have been avoiding people and thats kind of attitude you want in a gator.
I would never want to develop the whole country. I hunt dangerous game for sport so their would be no place for me to do so if that happened. Like I said, the wild places are their domain and I wouldn't try to get rid of them all. Funny thing you mentioned panthers, they were wiped out for a reason along with wolves and bears - all these things will kill your woman, children, pets and livestock. In wilderness areas is where they belong but I firmly believe any landowner should have the right to destroy something he finds distasteful on his own property. In AL gators are protected and if anyone finds out you have killed one you will face criminal prosecution and huge fines along with possible imprisonment.
It is sad what is happening in FL right now but they will come back in time. Gators have proven to be quite resileint and prolific.
30/7/66
05-18-2006, 08:55 AM
i'd love to see a gator or a croc in real life. we don't have any over here in england :( lol. do they really just roam around the area with people not thinking anything of it?
SquirrelMonkey
05-18-2006, 09:02 AM
had a 14 footer removed from my river property 2 years ago.......we see little ones all fo the time.
When I was in louisiana, they were the only road kill (not to many stray cats and dogs with gator filled canals every few hundred yards :D)
Ripped Mass
05-18-2006, 10:27 AM
I would never want to develop the whole country. I hunt dangerous game for sport so their would be no place for me to do so if that happened. Like I said, the wild places are their domain and I wouldn't try to get rid of them all. Funny thing you mentioned panthers, they were wiped out for a reason along with wolves and bears - all these things will kill your woman, children, pets and livestock. In wilderness areas is where they belong but I firmly believe any landowner should have the right to destroy something he finds distasteful on his own property. In AL gators are protected and if anyone finds out you have killed one you will face criminal prosecution and huge fines along with possible imprisonment.
It is sad what is happening in FL right now but they will come back in time. Gators have proven to be quite resileint and prolific.
Yeah about panthers. what happened to them was overkill. panthers aka mountain lions still roam the west but in very small numbers. they are usually never seen by people unless they are sick or really hungery. Humans arent on many predators list and predators usually avoid them.
BTW someone had a crazy plan to bring African lions over to the United States and set up a population in the Great Plains. Let me tell you that plan was met with a lot of fear and resistance. I forgot why they wanted to bring them over but it was for animal population control or something. Because what ever predator that use to roam the great plains was gone.
ericTHEninja
05-19-2006, 06:59 AM
Why is it that there are 3 apparent alligator attacks in a short period and all of the sudden alligators are attacking us? I don't mean that to be insulting. Out of sheer curiosity and interest, do you REALLY think that some hormonal balance or some environmental factors (say global warming) have removed some food source, etc. from the alligator habitat that there is an increase in attacks?
If you respond, then please remove all the media hype from your answer;)
SquirrelMonkey
05-19-2006, 07:21 AM
alligators are attacking us? I don't mean that to be insulting. Out of sheer curiosity and interest, do you REALLY think that some hormonal balance or some environmental factors (say global warming) have removed some food source, etc. from the alligator habitat that there is an increase in attacks?
MAMA Said "Aligators is onry 'cause dey got all dem teeth and no tooth brush"
:D
MAMA Said "Aligators is onry 'cause dey got all dem teeth and no tooth brush"
:D
Hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!
Ripped Mass
05-20-2006, 08:01 AM
Why is it that there are 3 apparent alligator attacks in a short period and all of the sudden alligators are attacking us? I don't mean that to be insulting. Out of sheer curiosity and interest, do you REALLY think that some hormonal balance or some environmental factors (say global warming) have removed some food source, etc. from the alligator habitat that there is an increase in attacks?
If you respond, then please remove all the media hype from your answer;)
Its simple really. The weather is warming up and its mating season. That means after a winter of just resting alligators are on the move and a little more aggresive. People are getting eaten because they arent paying attention to them and getting to close. The model who got eaten probably sat down by the gator and didnt see it. The lady who got eaten is lake was swimming in gator filled lake. Hmm.. guess what happened there. The old lady well no one is sure what happened.