Community Chat

[luvmyteddy4]

I hope she doesn't drive a convertible weeeeeeeeeee

driving down the street and looks in the rear view mirror!

[FLGranny]

We retired to Florida 4 yrs ago from NY. Face it. Every state in the union has something that other people find intolerable. California? Earthquakes. Midwest? Tornadoes. North? Snow, blizzards, ice storms. And so forth. You adapt to your hometown. We have gators living in the retention pond across the street. You just need to be smart. You keep your garbage cans closed at all times. You don’t leave your garage open for any length of time. You don’t go for midnight strolls in dark areas! 

[Puppy Lips]

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@proudlyfromNJ wrote:

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@Puppy Lips wrote:

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@Mz iMac wrote:

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@Zhills wrote:

Wouldn't try to pet one, but never afraid of one.  Just walk away!  They won't persue!

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Tell that to the family whos son was eaten by one at a Disney World resort a few yrs ago.

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@Mz iMac That little boy was wading in the shallow water where there was a clear sign telling people to stay out of the water.  That incident is clearly the fault of his father.  And the boy was not "eaten".  The alligator dragged him underwater to drown him, which is what they do.  The body was later recovered.  Alligators have to eat too.  Disney has since fenced off the entire area.  It was a very sad situation indeed.

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@Puppy Lips  The sign said ‘No Swimming’. 

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Oh, my bad.  I guess that means it was okay to walk in the water. NOT.

[vermint]

Alligators aren't just in Florida! I live in the midlands of SC, and they're occasionally sighted in the river and ponds in my area...and have been for years.

My niece lives in the Myrtle Beach area--there's a pond in her subdivision that has gators in it.

[Mindy D]

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@J Town Girl wrote:

I would be terrified.   When I think of how I react when I see a spider in the garage.  I can't imagine how frozen I would be if I saw that thing.   

I know you get used to seeing them if you live in Florida but I just couldn't handle being close to something like that.     I used to work with a girl who came from Florida and she told me occasionally gators would end up in shopping center parking lots.  

I mean no offense to those who live in areas where there are gators but it's not for me. 

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We might get used to seeing them in FL, but we don’t get used to seeing a 7’5” adult gator in our garage. They run really fast and they can be aggressive. 

[Mindy D]

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@Zhills wrote:

People do not realize how RARE this scene happens.  That's why it makes the news!

Lived here all my life, seen very few gators in the wild.  We invaded their territory, they did not invade ours!

Wouldn't try to pet one, but never afraid of one.  Just walk away!  They won't persue!

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In the garage, not so common, but inside anywhere humans can be is not rare here. They show up on back porches, in pools, by the front door, in the driveway, in the middle of the road, on school property, climbing over five foot aluminum wire fences, on golf courses, in grocery store parking lots, inside of stores. It’s not true that they won’t persue. They have done so, especially males during mating season.

[Mindy D]

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@J Town Girl wrote:

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@Mersha wrote:

It is frightening to think what might have happened if a child or pet wandered into the garage with this gator in there.

Hopefully, it was safely and humanely caught and moved to a more formidable habitat and will not return.

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When I read the story it said the gator was lured out of the garage and back to the canal. 

I sounded like the homeowners did that by themselves.  

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Nope. It just strolled right in.

[1Snickers]

 My cousin loves Florida! When she first moved there and had a condo on a lake she bought a pair of love birds. 
 She set their cage on her patio awhile and soon a huge gator was seen carrying the cage into the lake!

  She now has a dog but keeps it inside or in the fence.
 

[Mindy D]

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@shoptilyadropagain wrote:

I'm deathly afraid of snakes.  Although I would still be terrified, I would take an alligator any day over finding a snake in my garage!!!

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To me, it depends on what type of snake it is. 

[Anonymous032819]

From Reference dot com:

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, alligators can run up to 35 mph on land. Although these animals are frighteningly quick runners, they are only able achieve these speeds in short bursts and maintain it for only very short distances.

The idea of alligators chasing humans on land is one scary prospect that some Americans living in the South commonly fear. However, alligators actually have a natural fear of humans and they would rather stay away from people than chase after them. While some are considered "nuisance alligators," these animals often only become so if someone comes too close. It is recommended to stay 60 feet away from an adult alligator as a precaution. If an alligator hisses, then this is a sign that a person is standing too close.

The average human can easily outrun an alligator as it tires quickly. Alligators are ambush predators and would rather sneak up on prey while hidden in the water where they can swim in speeds of up to 20 miles per hours.