Fox news is running with it. Journalistic sensationalism=no journalistic responsibility to the public for the facts. This happens on every network, not just Fox. Something must be done about the gator attacks…right now! Result=folks killing gators (against Florida State Law without a permit by the way). The perceived panic is unfounded by the numbers.
Suarez’s death was the 18th confirmed fatal alligator attack in Florida since 1948.
By the numbers, not that drastic of a crisis considering how many people are either moving into or are already in Florida. More folks living with gators=more confrontations. I would probably have a better chance of getting hit by a car while crossing the street or getting killed by a doctor’s botched medical surgery than getting bit by a gator. By the numbers.
“There are some things that can cause alligators to associate people with feeding opportunities,” Morse said.
The signs say “Don’t feed the Bears” up north and out west. Same here in the south. Don’t feed the gators and don’t feed the bears. Maybe the FWC should invest in posting signs on all waters since most folks seem to be ignorant of the state laws (ignorance of the law is no excuse). Both in the north and the south, feeding these animals is against the law because it kills people. Bottomline.
The article fails to mention if the gators were being fed but its a good bet.
Didn’t that TV commercial where the guy throws the fish to the bear in the road get to you? It was not at all funny to me. Talk about teaching folks to break the law.
Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL
“Flip a fly”
[This message has been edited by dixieangler (edited 15 May 2006).]
You make some good points on the gator
problems. Here in SC, problems have been
few, however, I can easily discern that many
gators are losing thier natural fear of
humans here. Even large mature gators seem
unconcerned and sometimes curious of my
presence. It was not many years ago that
one really had to look hard and exercise
great stealth to get a good look at a wild
alligator. Not so now, perhaps to the
feeding and encroachment on thier habitat.
Odds are very much in favor of increased
confrontations. Eventually, I suspect the
gators will pay the price in large numbers
killed for the irresponsibility of a few
thoughtless people. Warm regards, Jim
Law #1: If to slow to outrun mighty gator must not wrestle or play in and around them.
Law #2: It doesnt matter if you know the stove is hot the stupid ones have to touch it for themselves. Signs are to protect the inquisitive people who might consider feeding but them realize what can happen.
Law #3: Most old people in the country and hungry gators dont mix.
Hey Dixie, I got you some feathers on the way to Florida. PLease dont entice the gators with them.
Thanks, Charlie. Looks like I’m going to have to start carrying a picture of an ugly broad to flash at the gators to scare them away . Apparently my fishing buddy and me aren’t ugly enough to scare them off . They move off real slow these days (lately). Further proof that they are getting more comfortable with people around (not good) . But at least they are moving off . The big boys though aren’t scared of anything when they get that big.
… I would think that “3 in a week” is quite drastic since there’s only been 15 deaths since 1948 until this “3 in a week”.
Not counting the current “3”, that rounds out real close to about 1 death by gator for every 4 years but now we have “3 in a week”!?
Hmmm … what’s your criteria for “drastic”? Just curious.
Gil
p.s. The media HAS to hype this up to get it into the skulls of the masses that it is mating season and later on, baby gators will hatch and momma gator will get really stoopid should you get near them.
Only 18 deaths by gators in 58 years out of the however many millions of people in Florida (2004 census was at 17,397,161) is not a drastic situation but media incited panic is. The public needs to be “informed”, not panicked. You are apparently looking at the short term but I am looking at the long term numbers which are extremely low given the amount of people living in Florida. Even short term, the numbers are low (excluding the one week) again, given such a large population.
You keep the gators and I’ll enjoy Bliss with no gators . no snakes, no critters, except fish to catch. Snapping turtle once in a while, thats it.
I miss the SkiBum Hopin to see ya Gil with the women.
Yep. From what I have read, there are supposed to be over 1,000 gators in Lake Istokpoga alone. The problem on Istokpoga with the poor fishing has already been discussed and is known in Highlands County (hopefully by the county commission and the lakes association in addition to the water management folks). The lake has been sprayed with chemicals for invasive weeds and plants but the problem is that many of the aquatic weeds and plants where the baitfish and other fish food sources hide and use for cover is gone. So the fish food sources are not being able to replentish themselves due to the removal of the weeds and plants they use for cover (protection). I would not doubt that gators are starting to eat each other and do things they normally would not do after the fishing has fallen off due to this problem (domino effect on the food chain). Thanks for the article, Mohawk16.
I think this is really strange. I’ve witnessed the phenomenon of gators becoming unafraid of humans first hand. But this rash of attacks still seems very unusual to me. I wouldn’t be a bit suprized if we find out later on that some of these 3 victims were dead or dying when they hit the water. I don’t want to be morbid or sound uncaring, but the fact is that young women tend to be more likley victims of HUMAN attack, and I can see how some sick so-and -so might attack , and then dump the body into a canal that he knows has gators, in an attempt to cover up his crime. I think this possibility is especially true of the young lady killed “while jogging”. Folks, I really have a hard time imagining a gator attacking someone on land moving that fast. They just don’t hunt on land. I suppose its possible she stepped on it, but I don’t see how you can miss a 9 footer sitting on the land. In Florida, South Carolina, and south Georgia,you don’t assume it’s a log next to the water.
All that being said, y’all fish carefully, and mind your surroundings if you live in gator habitats. Awareness and avoidance are your best bet for staying safe.
Swamp
[This message has been edited by swamp rat (edited 15 May 2006).]
You may be right as we do not know the circumstances surrounding the victims. Not only could what you mention be possible, there are other things that could have been going on. Drugs, Booze, etc. Not being aware of surroundings, poor judgement, etc.
Folks, I really have a hard time imagining a gator attacking someone on land moving that fast.
BTW, gators have a top speed on land of 35 mph only for short distances. That’s as fast as a horse. They can’t go far but they are fast for that short distance. They don’t hunt on land as far as I know either but the female gators do protect their nests and young especially from male gators that will eat the young gators.
Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL
“Flip a fly”
[This message has been edited by dixieangler (edited 15 May 2006).]
Dixieangler said … “Even short term, the numbers are low (excluding the one week) again, given such a large population.”
We are in agreement then as you just said exactly what I said … "Not counting the current “3”, that rounds out real close to about 1 death by gator for every 4 years but now we have “3 in a week”!?
You still didn’t answer my question. What is your criteria for it to be considered “drastic”?? Three didn’t do it. Howz about 4 or maybe 5. I know, let’s say one death per day for a whole week. That would be drastic … wouldn’t it??
And YES, the public needs to be panicked. In case you haven’t noticed … “information” hasn’t done it in the last eon or two. They’re STILL throwing chips, hotdogs and hamburgers to these dinosaurs … swimmin’ at dusk … snorkeling in restricted areas … taking their dogs on kayaks/canoes and/or walking them right beside gator infested waters … and on and on it goes.
Good grief man, how much more information do we need to pump out!? Read the newspapers, watch the TV news reports, heck, these nutcases here in Florida don’t even know when to get out of the way of a cat 4 or 5 hurricane. How many days worth of “information” do they get in advance and STILL won’t get out of harm’s way!? Sorry, but I disagree with you on this point as well.
“Hey buddy, don’t you know a 180mph hurricane is heading right for you!??”
“Yeah, but I’m set dude, I’ve got PLENTY of beer to make it through!”
Think what you want dixieangler, I probably won’t change your mind and I’m absolutely sure you’re not going to influence my thinking … especially with something as trivial as ahem “information”.
G’day.
Gil
[This message has been edited by FL_SKIBUM (edited 16 May 2006).]
You still didn’t answer my question. What is your criteria for it to be considered “drastic”?? Three didn’t do it. Howz about 4 or maybe 5. I know, let’s say one death per day for a whole week. That would be drastic … wouldn’t it??
I did answer your question.
Only 18 deaths by gators in 58 years out of the however many millions of people in Florida (2004 census was at 17,397,161) is not a drastic situation but media incited panic is.
This is far less than even 1 percent of the entire population of Florida something on the order of .0001 percent even at 2004 census count. A statistical count of one percent fatalities would be too high but we don’t even have close to one percent of the population at risk of gator fatalities.
The question boils down to how much risk are we willing to take if we want to live in Florida. We will always have the characters that you described so we had better start learning how to live with them also. They will start killing gators over this media incited panic sooner or later. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we have too many people in Florida. There needed to have been a state mandated limit a long time ago. The natural resources like water is not enough to go around for everybody anyway.
Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL
“Flip a fly”
[This message has been edited by dixieangler (edited 16 May 2006).]
No Sir, you STILL did not answer my question. You tapped danced around it by averaging the “3 in a week” into the past 48 years. That wasn’t the question.
I’ll try one more time. Here’s hoping you get it this time … “How many deaths by gator IN ONE WEEK does it take for you to consider it ‘drastic’”? Very simple question, all you have to do is pick a number here. You may even go into double digits if you need to (but I’m hoping you don’t).
Your average is great when talking about the past 50 years or so.
And as far as you saying there are waaaayyyy too many people here in Florida … heck man, you’re preaching to the “native born” choir whose roots go back to the late 1800’s. BUT … even the first settler on Longboat Key, FL, who is/was my great great great grandfather, came from Indiana.
Believe it or not, New Jersey has a problem with Black Bears. A black bear was shot in Irvington last week (adjacent to Newark). That bear had to get through quite a bit of urban sprawl to get there.
Bears become problems when they lose their fear of humans. Feeding is at least one of the biggest contributors to that.
When black bears lose their fear of humans you only have one solution available. I see black bears all the time when fishing. Fortunately, I’ve never met one that wasn’t absolutely petrified by my unexpected appearance.
I’m very, very sorry to hear about those terrible incidents, but Robert brings up a good point. I wonder if feeding wasn’t somehow involved.
My ancestors have been here since before the Seminole Indian Wars. Born and raised here, Sir.
The only numbers to statistically base the Florida State gator deaths on is the Florida State population, not on a weekly basis for this one time incident. It is over the 58 year period listed by the FWC, not “past” 50 years. I spelled it out for you and obviously you still don’t understand.
Wow, another native Floridian … glad to meet you … honest!
And yes, I do understand … completely. You choose to not answer my question but that’s OK … really. It was a tough one.
I didn’t need the added vituperation … all I needed was a simple number as to how many deaths would it take for you to consider this “drastic”. Four, six, eleven, or even ninety-nine gator related deaths to be considered “drastic”.
However, you continually choose to add/average in the past 58 years to what I’m asking you … banging head on wall … but hey, thanks for playing.
Ironically, the week before the model got attacted, we had a trapper show up at our lake to remove a barely 4ft “nuisance” gator near my house. We had seen the gator frequently and the only thing that gator was guilty of was being lazy and sleeping all day. To make a long story short, one of my transplant neighbors complained about the gator and sure enough, a trapper showed up and blew its brains out.
I called the FWC and complained about their definition of a “nuisance” gator…they agreed with me and was going to take it up with the trapper.
. Apparently my fishing buddy and me aren’t ugly enough to scare them off 
. They move off real slow these days (lately). Further proof that they are getting more comfortable with people around (not good) 
. But at least they are moving off 
Hopin to see ya Gil with the women.