Will they remove the BCV "can-alligator"

[kungaloosh]

Just got back from a week at BCV. We saw the alligator in the canal several mornings. It seemed like every time we went to our car in the AM between 7-9 he was there right under the bridge and folks were usually feeding him. One night we came in around 10-11 PM and there were 3 trucks (one which said Disney Pest Management) parked near the bridge and 5 guys looking at the canal with flashlights. I asked if they were looking for the alligator and they said yes and asked if we had ever seen him. I told them yes they just needed to come in the morning and that he was always there. They asked how big we thought he was. I thought around 5 feet but my DH and DS thought he was bigger.

So if anyone sees or hears anything else in the next few weeks I'd love to hear about it. I like seeing him every year but a friend of my sons who was visiting us said she thought they had to remove him if he got bigger than 6 feet.

Cathy

 

[daisyduck123]

We will be looking to see if he's still there in July!

We've stayed at BCV a couple of times, but I'm not sure where this location is. Could you please explain where this bridge is? Is it the one on the way to Epcot? Thanks!

 

[castleri]

We will be looking to see if he's still there in July!

We've stayed at BCV a couple of times, but I'm not sure where this location is. Could you please explain where this bridge is? Is it the one on the way to Epcot? Thanks!

When we have seen the allligator at BCV he was in the canal by the bridge that goes out to the parking lot near the quiet pool. We have also seen one that sunned himself on the grass bank on the way to the bus stop. That was a few years ago so this may be another gator.

 

[Gizmo1951]

We took some pics of it while we were there last week,
They were planning on moving it soon.

[/IMG]

 

[Judy WI]

In Feb I went on tour and they said they try and remove them when they get 5 feet long. Other wise they leave them alone. I am really surprise no one has seen one in a resort pool.

 

[Sammie]

It is against the law to feed the gator and by doing so these people have probably ended his life.

 

[Judy WI]

I never can figure out why people have to feed the duck, birds and other "wild" animal around. This is not a helpful thing for the animals. Some have said Disney should have duck and bird CM's to keep them away from the people and pools. People just stop feeding them and they will go away.

 

[dizzneebabe]

It is against the law to feed the gator and by doing so these people have probably ended his life.

I agree. As soon as they become unafraid of man (which feeding would undoubtedly do) they become more dangerous to humans.

That's too bad...I'm sure "relocating" him is not what these people think it is.

 

[JimMIA]

It is against the law to feed the gator and by doing so these people have probably ended his life.

Very true. Feeding alligators is both a Florida and Federal crime, plus it's not only dangerous to those who feed the animal, it's dangerous for anyone who is around it later. Alligators who are fed get quite aggressive in expecting food from people.

A 5-6 foot alligator is still a juvenile, but I'd think they'd remove it pretty soon. The removal process is pretty simple. You just bait a hook with a chicken, reel the animal in, tie its mouth shut with duct tape and take it away. When you get out of sight, you shoot it. The trappers get paid a small fee by the state (I think it's $35) but the value of their trappers license is they get to keep the alligator meat, hide, and whatever else they want.

Relocation is a myth. It doesn't work, and truthfully, it's never even tried. That "inconvenient truth" is why we say, "A fed 'gator is a dead 'gator."

 

[WolfpackFan]

I never can figure out why people have to feed the duck, birds and other "wild" animal around.

Because they think it is "so cute" when their children feed the animals. I see it all the time as I walk around our local lake here. I wonder how cute they think it would be if that alligator decided to take a chomp at one of the children.

 

[JimMIA]

They just had a fisherman attacked at Lake Okeechobee last weekend. He wasn't feeding anything, just casting a net for bait fish. But alligators are ambush hunters and one grabbed him and dragged him into the lake.

That is normally a death sentence because alligators kill large prey by taking them underwater and spinning to drown the prey. In this case, the man's son or son-in-law was able to drive the alligator off and pull the victim out of the water. The man was seriously injured -- he got bitten several times -- but he's expected to recover.

That fisherman is a lucky man.

 

[kungaloosh]

Two of the mornings that we saw him (or her) last week my son's friend who is a Vet Tech was with us and she tried to nicely say things about people shouldn't be feeding him but folks just ignored her. I've always been surprised that Disney doesn't post a sign on the bridge asking people not to feed the animals. The turtles and ducks were going after the bread and things that people were tossing right in front of the alligator.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

Relocation is a myth. It doesn't work, and truthfully, it's never even tried. That "inconvenient truth" is why we say, "A fed 'gator is a dead 'gator."

I am terrified even thinking of gators but this makes me very sad. Why can't people just use common sense and leave wildlife alone?
I'm glad that fisherman survived.

 

[Lexxiefern]

I thought that gator already got moved? Is this a new one? There was a 4 foot gator in that same location back in 2003 when we first stayed at BCV. Do they grow really slowly? I know in my neighborhood here in SC, there are signs posted everywhere not to feed the gators. We had a quite large one for a while but then they came and "relocated" it. I guess I am naive, because I really thought that is what they did. I didn't know they kill them

 

[henri + katie's mum]

I think Disney should educate people about feeding the gators and other creatures. I think a lot of it is ignorance and most people wouldn't feed them if they knew. (Of course, some still would.)

I would have never know about the fate of "relocation" if I had not read this.

 

[Belle102498]

I would think that Disney doesn't post signs about feeding the gators because they don't want people to be afraid to move around the property. Being from the North (Pennsylvania) it never even dawned on me that there might be some creature lurking around that might be "unsafe". It didn't even say anything about alligators when my husband and I rented pedal boats at CBR. I would think that there would have been little gators in there too. I think that Disney has the out of sight out of mind attitude for their visitors. That may be why they try to "relocate" the gators at night. If people don't see them, then they aren't there. Alligators at Disney are just an urban legend right? Same with snakes

As far as feeding the alligators, people think it is cute to do that, and they are giving the alligators a treat that they normally wouldn't have. I have to admit, I fed the ducks at EPCOT years ago when everyone else did, and I didn't notice a posted sign not to. I now know better, and I won't be doing that again.

Honestly, Disney handles the alligator situation very quietly, and I must admit that I am thankful for that. I may be naive, but I don't want to think about a gator crossing my path on vacation, and little ones tend to get scared if their parents make a big deal out of things. At Disney, some parents make a HUGE deal of things, and I can see some freaking out their kids.

Just a few thoughts!

 

[thepops]

He certainly DOES get relocated ..... to the appitizer portion of the menu ..

 

[PatMcDuck]

We live near Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ. I stopped going thru the Safari years ago. I simply could not stand to watch the people feeding the animals as they drove thru the attraction. It was bad enough, the people that gave them assorted fruit and such. But many many other just fed them whatever they had, like chips, cookies, candy. Sometimes the animals grabbed the chips, bag and all. It made me NUTS, paled in comparison to my worry about people feeding ducks. These are monkeys, rhinos, giraffes, ostrich/emus, assorted antelope/deer, etc etc. Let me say, there were way more than 50%of the visitors doing this, not just a few here and there.

 

[CarolA]

It is against the law to feed the gator and by doing so these people have probably ended his life.

Maybe the Gator will eat the idiots??

Seriously WHY would you do this!

Disney needs to remove these when they first show up and not allow the idiots to do this!

 

[JimMIA]

I guess I am naive, because I really thought that is what they did. I didn't know they kill them

The basic answer is that "relocation" depends on the species.

Very few wild animals relocate well. Alligators were once endangered, but now they are rather abundant, so they just kill them.

Other species are relocated, but usually with poor results. But we use the wrong measure to evaluate "success." Success is usually claimed when the animal does not return, but that should not be the benchmark. We should look at what happens to the animal.

In South Florida, we had one situation a couple of months ago where an American Crocodile (endangered and found only in South Florida in the US) was relocated and had its brain scrambled with electrical shock to disorient it in the hope of preventing a return to where it was trapped. That crocodile was tagged, and within a matter of days, it was roadkill. I guess the disorientation was "successful."

A couple of years ago we had an issue with a young male Florida Panther (also endangered). It was in an area where farmers had barnyard livestock (goats, pigs, etc), so there were only two choices. The farmers could secure their livestock at night at the state's expense, or they could refuse and force the state to relocate the panther. The farmers refused, of course.

Wildlife biologists told everybody relocation would not work because you would be relocating an 80-pound two year-old panther into the territory of a 150-pound fully adult male and the young panther would be killed. The young panther was relocated in spite of that advice and lasted about a week before the bigger male found and killed him.