Close Encounters During Gator Mating Season; Here's What To Do

PORT RICHEY, FL -- As if waiting for the next available hair appointment, a gator was found staring expectantly into the front door of the Hair Obsessions Salon, 5713 Richey Drive in Port Richey, on Tuesday.

Alarmed tenants summoned the Port Richey Police, which coaxed the gator back into the nearby pond from which it had wandered.

Clearwater Police were called out for an equally unsettling encounter when a 9-foot gator decided to call on neighbors in the 2800 block of Regency Court on Thursday.

Unfortunately, neighbors weren't putting out the welcome mat for the visitor. Instead, a trapper with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was called to lasso the gator and take it away.

According to the FWC, the roaming gators are an indication that mating season is underway and residents should use caution.

Alligator courtships begins in early April, and it's not unusual for gators to wander away from their usual habitats in search of a mate, ending up in unusual places, according to the FWC.

The wandering continues through mating season in May and June.

Female gators then build a mound nest of soil, vegetation, or debris and deposit approximately 32 to 46 eggs in late June or early July. Incubation requires approximately 60-65 days, so hatching occurs in late August or early September. From an average clutch size of 35, an estimated four alligators will reach maturity.

While the sight of a gator walking across a neighborhood street can be alarming, the FWC emphasized that alligators are an integral part of Florida's ecosystem and should not be considered nuisances.

But as Florida's human population grows, the FWC said more encounters between people and gators are inevitable.

Since 1948, Florida has averaged about five unprovoked bites per year. During that period, a little more than 300 unprovoked bites to people have been documented in Florida, with 22 resulting in deaths.

In 2018, nine gator bites were reported, one fatal. The year before, 12 gator bites were reported. None were fatal.

In the past 10 years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has received an average of nearly 16,000 alligator-related complaints per year. Most of these complaints deal with alligators appearing in backyard ponds, canals, ditches and streams, but other conflicts occur when alligators wander into garages, swimming pools and golf course ponds.

Sometimes, alligators come out of the water to bask in the sun or move between wetlands. In many cases, if left alone, these alligators will eventually move on to areas away from people.

Calling a trapper should be a last resort. Under the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, FWC-licensed trappers are instructed to destroy the gator, not relocate it. Generally, an alligator may be considered a nuisance if it is at least 4 feet long and is believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property.

The reason for destroying the nuisance gators is to prevent them from returning their capture site. To avoid creating a problem at the release site, nuisance alligators would need to be relocated to remote areas where they would not encounter people. These remote areas already have healthy alligator populations, and the ones that already live there have established social structures. The introduction of a new alligator to these areas would likely cause fighting, possibly resulting in the death of a resident alligator or the introduced alligator.

In 2018, SNAP received 14,739 nuisance alligator complaints resulting in 8,139 nuisance alligators being destroyed.

There are ways people, pets and gators can co-exist, said the FWC.

• Never feed alligators – it’s dangerous and illegal. When fed, alligators can overcome their natural wariness and learn to associate people with food. When this happens, some of these alligators have to be removed and killed.
• Dispose of fish scraps in garbage cans at boat ramps and fish camps. Do not throw them into the water. Although you are not intentionally feeding alligators when you do this, the result can be the same.
• Observe and photograph alligators only from a distance.

• Be aware of the possibility of alligators when you are in or near fresh or brackish water. Bites may occur when people do not pay close enough attention to their surroundings when near water.
• Do not swim outside of posted swimming areas or in waters that might be inhabited by large alligators.
• Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn. Therefore, avoid swimming at night.

• Dogs and cats are similar in size to the natural prey of alligators. Don’t allow pets to swim, exercise or drink in or near waters that may contain alligators. Dogs often attract an alligator’s interest, so do not swim with your dog.
• Leave alligators alone. State law prohibits killing, harassing or possessing alligators. Handling even small alligators can result in injury.

To report a nuisance alligator, call 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).

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