|
|
|
Orlando Alligator Control & Removal
Alligators are very common in central Florida and the Greater Orlando area. The most common complaints that I get are:
- Alligator in the local pond!
- Alligator in my swimming pool!
- Alligator about to feast on my kids!
I don't handle alligators - they're handled by the Florida Wildlife Commission: 1-866-FWC-GATOR
|
|
|
ALLIGATOR BEHAVIOR: I don't know much about gators. I see a few of them from time to time. I think they mostly cruise about the body of water that they live in,
and sometimes lounge and sun themselves on land, and eat whatever they can get into their mouths. Little alligators probably start with small stuff like insects and other invertebrates, then they probably eat small stuff
like salamandars and frogs and small fish, then they probably move on to larger fish and a variety of other food items. Large alligators eat larger fare, including the occasional mammal, and of course, the largest alligators
eat human beings exclusively. I'm pretty sure that they mate in the month of May, and this is by far the most dangerous time to be around alligators. I think that most unprovoked attacks and human fatalities occur during
this time frame.
|
ALLIGATOR BIOLOGY: The alligators in Florida are American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), not those stinky Chinese alligators. Alligators are crocodilians,
but differ from crocs in that they have a broader snout and more dorsal eyes, among other differences. The largest alligator on record, since people always seem interested in such things, was 19 ft 2 in long. Weight unknown,
but surely over a ton. They mate in spring, as stated, and the female lays a clutch of eggs under decaying vegetation, which gives off heat. The young hatch and crawl to water, ready to grow into terrible man-eating monsters.
|
NUISANCE CONCERNS IN ORLANDO: Everyone is so danged afraid of monsters. The fear here, of course, is that the big bad gator is going to devour your pets and children
in the night, if not you. According to the Florida Wildlife Commission, there's been about 275 unprovoked alligator attacks in the last 50 or so years, and 17 fatalities. Not bad statistics, given the number of people in
Florida and the number of alligators. The FWC gets about 18,000 nuisance gator complaints a year, and removes about 7000 gators that it deems a nuisance. The alligators are removed by specially licensed alligator trappers,
and the restrictions for becoming such a licensed trapper are high (I think there's only one per county, and he doesn't lose his license until he dies of gator attack) so I don't have the license. So stop calling me to
catch your nuisance gator! Call 1-866-FWC-GATOR (392-4286). The FWC will evaluate your complaint, and if it's deemed necessary, send a registered trapper to try to remove the alligator.
|
HOW DO I SOLVE THE PROBLEM? As usual, common sense is the best answer. Don't feed a gator if you see one, because then it will begin to associate humans with food,
and lose its natural fear of people - and believe me, gators are very shy. Don't allow little Johnny to hang out near water's edge, and the same goes for little Fluffy or Fido. If you see a very large gator that troubles
you, be sure to provoke it, and if possible, stick your head into its open mouth to impress the neighbors. Go swimming at night, when they are most active, preferably while drunk. Etc. I don't know what constitutes a
nuisance gator in the eyes of the FWC, but I'd guess that it'd have to be big, maybe over 8 feet, and demonstrates aggressiveness or lack of fear of people.
|
|
|
|