Originally posted by baloo722
Just got back today. my daughter spotted one in the canal between boardwalk & mgm. For thosew who say they are harmless, a 12 year old boy was killed in central florida last week by one of these harmless creatures...i say round 'em up.
Gators wouldn't be a problem unless they have either been fed by humans (which causes them to be less fearful of people, as is their natural instinct). They start to view humans as a source of food. They don't know the difference then between the hot dog their feeding them, and the hand/body that's attached to the hot dog.
That child, unfortunately, invaded the gators territory, not the other way around. Gators, like most animals, will attack when they feel threatened. I feel terrible about the boy, but it was reported he knew the gator was there and was throwing rocks at it, and continued to stay in the water (and threaten it), even when he knew it was there. (his friends apparently literally pulled him out, only to have him run back in, twice it was reported)
It would be impossible to "round them up" as there are, as Steve said, over a million of them, with more everyday. Even with all of them, attacks are very rare and generally occur only when a gator has become less fearful (because he's been fed by humans), or someone makes the mistake of stepping into her nest. I don't swim in the lakes, nor would I allow my kids, and I have no fear of being attacked at all. My kids know if one comes after them, run like heck in a zig zag pattern!
Common sense and being aware are key here.
As a side note, not only is it a bad idea to feed a gator in the wild, it's against the law.
Karen
Is this something to be concerned about?
