Watch for GATORS!

[mickeyearssarah]

: Last week we were kayaking at Port Orleans Riverside where we encountered an alligator in the water about 10 feet from our kayak. The alligator opened it's mouth and snapped at us and then proceded to go into the woods or tree area. I believe the tree area would go directly to the area in which people fish or less than 50 feet away from the pool in which children were playing. We reported the alligator to the hotel and they said his name is Elvis and he is about 4 feet long . This was not the alligator we saw. The alligator we saw was atleast 10-12 feet long. Has anyone else seen an alligator at Port Orleans Riverside? I would love more information on the alligator situation at POR and Fl laws regarding alligators. I would like to cation anyone who is walking through POR at night or anyone in Kayaks. I also know that a very small alligator was found in the bathrooms in fantasy land at the Magic Kingdom.

 

[mommykds]

We will be at POR on Sunday...that's scary!

 

[magicmouse2]

In all the times I have been to POR/POFQ I have never seen a gator and I have looked plenty for one.

 

[Tink3Bell]

Maybe Elvis got older? and bigger! Yikes I hope they found him that would scare me to death! I don't think we will avoid the boating trip we had planned there and go to another location.

 

[safetymom]

You can pretty much assume if there is a body of water in FL. there will be gators in it. When they get to a certain size the gator is removed or killed.

 

[JUJU814]

MANY years ago we were staying in Villa's near Downtown Disney..I don't know what it's called now..but we were talking to a bus stop near a body of water and we saw two gators.

Julie

 

[airhead]

One day while taking the Friendship boat to Epcot,we saw the wildlife boat trying to catch "something" in the water. We later found out they were trying to catch a mama gator and her baby. The rule is they cannot be removed until the gator is 5 feet long! YIKES!!!!

 

[TagsMissy]

OOOh I wanna see Elvis!!

 

[disnut8]

From http://www.ecofloridamag.com/archived/alligators.htm (I did the bolding)

Co-Existing with People

A growing number of alligator attacks on people and pets are being reported, particularly in Florida as population growth and development continue. Educating the public about these creatures is an ongoing task for biologists and activists. One of the most important things to know is that if you see an alligator in the wild, leave it alone. Alligators should be respected, not feared. Don't feed or touch wild alligators -- it's against state law. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is working to convince both residents and visitors alike that people and alligators can co-exist peacefully as long as we respect their presence as an integral part of the Florida wetlands; alligators keep other species of animals in check by hunting them, which is an essential part of the ecosystem.

Unfortunately, accidents do happen, often resulting in deaths; however, there have been only 9 fatal alligator attacks on humans in Florida since 1972. Only a handful of minor attacks occur each year. Wildlife biologists emphasize the fact that the vast majority of alligators never attack humans and that most of the attacks on humans don't result in deaths.

Humans are both awed and fascinated with alligators, yet it is now up to wildlife biologists to decide how best to manage alligators that are increasingly being overrun by humans. Alligators are here to be studied, watched, preserved, protected and respected as survivors of the dinosaur age.

 

[Shell54]

I brought this topic up a few weeks ago and began by misspelling the word gator some of the Florida folks on the BOARD did not take kindly to my concerns after that.
Anyway..I have decided to just be aware of my surroundings and realize that the critters may be around.

.How folks swim in the lagoon at the poly in beyond me..now that's just asking to be served up as a hot lunch one day.

 

[marciemouse]

Listen to the current podcast, and you won't ever want to wade in the water again! Having grown up in FL, I would NOT ever want to be in lake there.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

I will never forget in the mid-1980's seeing some teenage boys taking hard rolls and hitting an alligator on its head. It was near the Empress Lily Riverboat (which became Fulton's Crabhouse). I was only a teenager myself, but I remember being upset and wishing someone would stop them. They kept doing it, and the alligator didn't like it.

Earlier on that trip, we had tried water skiing, and I spent most of my time IN Bay Lake. I remember thinking the boat driver was joking about "watching out for" alligators. Then, when I saw that alligator near the Riverboat, I thought "That's the end of my waterskiing career!"

 

[Buzz2001]

One day while taking the Friendship boat to Epcot,we saw the wildlife boat trying to catch "something" in the water. We later found out they were trying to catch a mama gator and her baby. The rule is they cannot be removed until the gator is 5 feet long! YIKES!!!!

I was told they move them at 4 feet.

 

[safetymom]

If they are 6 feet or longer they are removed and destroyed. Less than that they are relocated.

 

[dizneydiva2005]

I've seen a couple over the years at Ft. Wilderness. In the big lake and in canals.

 

[snyderla]

We saw one at CSR in 2005. It was in a pond away from the main area sunning itself.
If Disney is destroying gators 6ft and longer, wouldn't there be a big uproar over that? I thought they were more eco friendly than that. The bus driver we spoke to said they relocate gators 4 ft and over. He was the one who showed us the gator at CSR.

 

[mickeyearssarah]

should I call Disney or Fl wildlife?

We were hiding right for the gator but my mother and brother saw it before we did, we would have hit the poor thing with our ores. He would not have been happy and we could have been hurt. I will try to upload pics of our kayak so ya'll can see how exposed we were.

 

[newharmony]

We've seen several alligators over the past few years. The biggest one was on the golf course near the GF entrance...maybe 8-10 feet long! We've seen them near DD, DHS, and the AS resorts.

 

[Grumpymom73]

Disney traps gators over 4ft long and relocates elsewhere on property away from guest areas. They do not destroy them.

Fl Law is pretty strick where gators are concerned. In fact, it's a good thing you didn't hit the gator. FL law protects the gator and you could have been in trouble. Per FL law there is a Nuisance Hotline where you can report problem gators. IF they determine the gator is a problem then a licensed trapper will be sent out to relocate the gator. However, just seeing an alligator does not classify it as a nuisance.

Like an earlier poster already stated Floridians have a saying "If there's a puddle...there's a gator!" However, to all of you coming here on vacation do not in anyway let this scare you! Gator attacks are actually very rare when you consider just how many gators are out there and how many people are in our lakes and rivers everyday. I'm sure that wherever you call "home" there are some dangerous animals (snakes, spiders, bears, etc) that share it with you, but I'm pretty sure you all leave your houses everyday. Nature should be respected, but not feared.

 

[larryz]

Photos???