Must be gator season:

[krnfitz]

I'm fine as long as they are just as interested in staying away from me as I am w/them. That is how the snakes and I get along in our wooded yard -- I give them room -- they leave and I continue weeding/digging etc. I will have to be vigilant about our dogs but they will always be contained in the fence or else on leash w/us. Just don't want a midnight surprise in the fenced yard if I have to let the dogs out to potty. As it is I usually scan the fenced yard here in the middle of the nights as we have coyotes and had some alleged sightings of mtn. lions. ( yikes!) and black bear are now in our county. I'm more likely to startle a possum/raccoon that would wonder in the fenced area. Hoping a gator will find the seawall and then the fence just not worth the effort when there are tons of preserve on the other side of the canal from us. Must be plenty of food there for them. I feel badly for the poor little guy wondering why no one is feeding him. Whoever started that did him a terrible disservice not letting him get used to fending for himself and preserving his natural inclination to be afraid of humans. It will likely not end well for him. That's why I'd hope he could be re-homed away from humans. Safer for him.

We had hoped to get a boat to travel up and down the canals w/the dogs ( they will always have a life jacket on) but the idea of one of them accidentally going overboard in water w/gators is making me re-think that.

[JimboFolds]

krnfritz, gators are what you call "lazy eaters". To climb a wall and come over a fence to claim a meal just isn't going to happen. Actually a gator chasing any prey farther than 10ft past first snap is rare unless it's a mother protecting a nest or a male during mating season when they are more aggressive. If they can't sneak up on something and get it first strike they generally move on (wife did a ton of research after our first sighting). Keep the dogs away from the waters edge and you'll never have a problem.
You will likely have a bobcat cross your yard at some point but they will just go about their business unless you are fool enough to corner them or hang a pork chop around your neck. Dogs chase cats but when the cat is as big as the dog they think twice. I have a pitbull that will chase after anything small and all cats and he just sits down when he sees one. Then looks up at me like "awe hell no". LOL. Don't let any of the tv shows about animals influence your perception of what they are really like. Use common sense and respect that they are wild animals and you'll never have a problem.

[krnfitz]

I was counting on the seawall being just too much trouble.
We have bobcats here too although haven't seen one around our property.
Thanks for the reassurance.

[dualie]

I suggest calling and having him removed. He will cause someone trouble and he shouldn't be in salt water. While neat to see..... they can hurt someone.

For a funny... I have a rubber alligator on a string tied to my dock. People stop in their boats all the time and sneak up on him to take photos! It's so funny to see them sneaking up and shhhing each other so they don't scare him away. Glad to give them something to talk about.

[MartyGras]

Originally Posted by dualie

I suggest calling and having him removed. He will cause someone trouble and he shouldn't be in salt water. While neat to see..... they can hurt someone.

For a funny... I have a rubber alligator on a string tied to my dock. People stop in their boats all the time and sneak up on him to take photos! It's so funny to see them sneaking up and shhhing each other so they don't scare him away. Glad to give them something to talk about.

Pictures please

[the searchers]

Originally Posted by krnfitz

I was counting on the seawall being just too much trouble.
We have bobcats here too although haven't seen one around our property.
Thanks for the reassurance.

We have been here for a while in an area with seawalls and I have never heard of one climbing up and into a yard.

That being said, I always look before I walk out into the yard at night. Not just for gators but the other Florida surprises. I also never walk onto the garage at night without turning the light on before stepping out and down the steps.

One think to note is that gators like to hunt at night. Also that if you shine a light around you will notice them quickly because the eye reflection is red.

Like somebody else said, we enjoy the spectacle of Alligators in our adopted home. Just use caution because they are all around us wherever water ponds up and a favorite food is puppy on a leash. So stay away from water when walking the dogs.

[SoFLGal]

Gator mating season is now, in the spring. If you take a ride down the Myakka you'll see literally thousands of gators in the water. When you paddle down the river you can't help but knock them in the head there are so many in the springtime. When I was a kid we used to go swimming with them. Not sure exactly what we were thinking and I certainly don't recommend it. For the most part, they leave you alone if you leave them alone and don't feed them. Here's a pic I took of one of the gators hanging on the bank on the Myakka:

I can still remember my parents talking about a time when I was very young, probably a year or so old and we were swimming in the pond over at Oscar Schearer State Park in Osprey. A young girl by the name of Sharon (I think she was 16 at the time) was killed by an 11' gator while swimming there. Just kind of sticks with me but I guess it didn't stop me later on from swimming with them.

I also remember hearing about an attack in North Port/Port Charlotte when a lawn guy got done mowing lawns and decided to jump in the canal to cool off. Well, I guess he didn't make it out.

When you think of all the gators and people who swim in the area it's a very rare occurrence. I'd be more concerned with small pets or children. Here's a list of all of the fatal attacks: List of fatal alligator attacks in the United States by decade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia There are several in Charlotte county but I think I heard somewhere that you have more chance of being struck by lighting or winning the lottery than getting attacked by a gator.

[MartyGras]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

Gator mating season is now, in the spring. If you take a ride down the Myakka you'll see literally thousands of gators in the water. When you paddle down the river you can't help but knock them in the head there are so many in the springtime. When I was a kid we used to go swimming with them. Not sure exactly what we were thinking and I certainly don't recommend it. For the most part, they leave you alone if you leave them alone and don't feed them. Here's a pic I took of one of the gators hanging on the bank on the Myakka:

I can still remember my parents talking about a time when I was very young, probably a year or so old and we were swimming in the pond over at Oscar Schearer State Park in Osprey. A young girl by the name of Sharon (I think she was 16 at the time) was killed by an 11' gator while swimming there. Just kind of sticks with me but I guess it didn't stop me later on from swimming with them.

I also remember hearing about an attack in North Port/Port Charlotte when a lawn guy got done mowing lawns and decided to jump in the canal to cool off. Well, I guess he didn't make it out.

When you think of all the gators and people who swim in the area it's a very rare occurrence. I'd be more concerned with small pets or children. Here's a list of all of the fatal attacks: List of fatal alligator attacks in the United States by decade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia There are several in Charlotte county but I think I heard somewhere that you have more chance of being struck by lighting or winning the lottery than getting attacked by a gator.

I looked on the state website that lists alligator fatalities and I believe every one was due to the negligence of the person that was eaten.

I also remember as a kid swimming with them at Waculla State park.

But the water there was crystal clear, in this area you could get eaten by mistake.

Gary