Video of gator just before he took an elder woman down in Florida.

[Baitball Blogger]

The video stops before he reaches her, but it's a good reminder not to walk small pets by the edge of a lake. It also says something about how complacent Florida neighborhoods are, thinking it's cute to have a gator of that size hanging around.

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Florids It's gators or guns when you retire to...

Florida.

Given a choice, I'm choosing snow.

[pazzyanne]

7. Same! nt

[llmart]

59. +1

I have no desire to live in Florida and I'm a senior. Nothing about that state appeals to me even though my son lives there.

[underthematrix]

2. Florida is like a death trap - gators, sink holes, pythons, guns and

DeathSantis

[leftyladyfrommo]

16. And awful bugs. nt

[Baitball Blogger]

19. And laws to cancel vaccines that can save you from the plague.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

50. and worst of all HUMIDITY

[Deuxcents]

3. This is tragic. We are told all the time about the dangers near lakes n ponds

And still..

[SoCalDavidS]

4. The Residents Gave The Alligator A Fucking Name

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

They probably name their firearms down there too. Morons.

[rubbersole]

14. Gators, guns and weenies.

Everything gets a name.

[In It to Win It]

5. "Neighborhood fixture"

This gator isn’t a surprise. I feel like some common sense could have prevented this.

My condolences to her family though.

[SoCalDavidS]

22. Common Sense? This Is Floriduh. nt

[Tommy Carcetti]

49. Oh wow.

Floriduh again.

I tip my hat to your brilliance.

Don't forget the Bugs Bunny gif.

[SoCalDavidS]

53. The Truth Hurts

This community thought, "oh, what a cute alligator. Let's name him."

I suppose you're going to say that a lot of Democrats live in FL. And it's not your fault the state's Governor & Senators are complete Fascist Assholes, on a mission to battle "Wokeism" and Own every last Democrat in the country.

Yeah, I know that Democrats live there. They live in other states that are shitholes too. It doesn't change the fact that some strange shit goes on in your state, that doesn't seem to happen elsewhere. So yeah, Floriduh fits, as does the Bugs Bunny cartoon.

My only surprise is that this incident didn't happen in that backwards ass community known as The Villages. It doesn't take a genius to know that ignoring a bunch of alligators outside your front door, won't come back to "bite" you some day.

[Tommy Carcetti]

57. There's no truth there.

You’re just rehashing lame, tired and uncreative insults.

And don’t tell me Southern California isn’t replete with plenty of strange shit of its own. But who cares?

I’m just saying…get a new schtick.

[PufPuf23]

6. Had to click off that video. Poor woman and her loved ones.

The woman who made the 911 call is brave.

[Sky Jewels]

8. That has got to be one of the most horrific ways to go.

Gators fill me with a primal fear.

I hope it was over relatively quickly.

[betsuni]

9. I recently watched one of the Jurassic Park movies, similar ancient scary creature.

[Baitball Blogger]

20. In one of the last Jurassic Park movies, I was more afraid of

the water beast, than I was of the main featured dinosaur.

[dmr]

10. Oh, dear God! How horrific!

I'm traumatized from just watching this video. My heart is pumping away.

I lived 20 years in Florida, and I was deathly afraid of these creatures.

That poor grandma. My heart goes out to her family. We always want our loved ones to go peacefully. This must be eating them up inside, I know it would me. Her last moments of life ... she did not deserve this.

My heart also goes to the woman making the phone call. The nightmares she must be having. PTSD will set in, I'm sure.

It seems Florida could do better educating people of the extreme dangers of alligators. Florida is full of transients. Ignorant of the dangerous wildlife. People come and go at record pace.

A creature they deem unusual and nice; or their ignorance thinks it's cool to have this beast walk through their neighborhood -- their guard is down, so they name him, and he becomes something like a mascot. I hope they weren't feeding him.

I'm sorry to be rattling on like this, but that video profoundly affected me. I'm glad to be here in Michigan with all the snow.

[Baitball Blogger]

21. If there is a mandatory HOA involved, they will probably get sued.

[Ms. Toad]

58. I doubt it will be successful.

My brother has decided he likes Florida in the winter - about a month ago he sent me a picture of the 8' alligator that inhabits his pond. According to him, there's generally one alligator per pond, and no fences.

It appears that the standard of care down there is to do nothing.

[spinbaby]

11. A good friend just bought a house there

The development is called Spanish Lakes—a low-cost development near I95 that consists of mobile homes that are slowly being replaced by new concrete block homes. There are a number of lakes and ponds, all connected by canals and culverts. My friend’s house overlooked one of the smaller ponds and he pointed out "his" alligator sunning itself on the bank and told me about much bigger ones in the lake. The whole community knew there were large alligators, but apparently the development company didn’t do anything about them.

I’m also reminded of the time an alligator killed a preschooler at a fancy Disney hotel six or seven years ago. These beasts need to be treated with respect and caution.

[2naSalit]

13. They are not...

giving up their habitat without a fight!

[rubbersole]

15. And diminishing food sources.

[2naSalit]

17. Yeah.

They seem to be adapting to a "fast food" diet.

[rubbersole]

18. Florida take-out...

...OK, that was uncalled for in this thread. But I'm drinking coffee now out of a cup showing a cartoon bear dragging a person out of a tent...sez - "Vermont take-out".

[Sky Jewels]

40. In Florida, people just have to assume all water contains gators.

Well, maybe not pools or the ocean, but you know what I mean. I doubt the development company could control them even if they wanted to. Gators seem to find a way into water that works for them.

[spinbaby]

43. Apparently there's a service for that

I was told by my friend that lives in Spanish Lakes that Florida has some kind of alligator patrol or something that will "take care" of alligators over four feet long. I’m getting kind of mixed messages from him about why this wasn’t done, especially since it was well known there were two large alligators living there.

[Sky Jewels]

54. Yeah, that is strange.

I wonder if they had "Beware of Alligators" signs posted, at least. And you'd think that that poor woman would have been more aware of the dangers, especially as she had the perfect gator bait in the form of a small dog.

[JanMichael]

63. Yes on pools. I have seen them in pools in the past.

[Sky Jewels]

65. Oy!

I guess the good thing about pools is that they offer a clear view of gators!

[2naSalit]

12. Not going to watch that.

I'll take living near the bears, I have pepper spray and I know that works to keep them from hurting me. Gators, not so sure what would help in that situation.

Yikes, just another reason not to go to Florida. It seems that more than woke goes there to die.

[bdamomma]

23. That's just

horrible.

Florida is gator infested. Just so sad.

[In It to Win It]

38. It's people-infested

[Sky Jewels]

42. True. The people are far more destructive.

[Chainfire]

24. It is not an alligator problem it is a people problem.

That incident should have never happened. It was a near perfect setup for a tragedy.

Alligators do what alligators have been doing for the last 30 million years or so. It is not their fault that people think that they are cool pets, friendly neighboring wildlife or a community "attraction." Gators have two tricks; they breed and they eat. The gator was coming for the dog, the woman got in the way. If you were "fishing" for a gator, there would be no better bait than a dog on the end of a rope. The first indicator that the gator may have been a problem was that the people had given it a name.

I do feel sorry for the human victim, that is an awful way to go. Unless she just arrived in Florida last week, she should have known better. This situation is not much different than in would be if I, as a country boy, moved to the big city, and decided to walk, drunk and staggering, through the city's most violent neighborhood, after dark, with 100 dollar bills hanging out of my pockets. How much sympathy would I get when I was mugged? When you go to a new place, you better find out what the local "rules" are.

The community should have had that gator relocated long before this incident. They do not get that big overnight, if they estimated its length accurately, that gator was around 50 years old. I would be willing to bet that they gator had been being fed by community members to the point that it lost its fear of people. People use poor judgement then expect others to shed "alligator tears" when it comes back to "bite them in the ass."

I am an old man, I was born in Florida and have lived here most of my life. In the wild, Alligators are a fact of life. As a young man I spent a lot of time fishing and camping on our waterways and I have never had a problem with alligators. We have had a deal, I respected them, I don't feed or harass them, and they don't eat me. The normal interaction with humans and gators, in the wild, is when the human approaches, the gator leaves. That only changes when you feed them.

[Baitball Blogger]

26. I think that those of us who live in Florida near lakes also have the sense

to scan the surface of the water, looking for moving logs and looking for long cylindrical shapes under the water near the bank.

They like to periscope, just the eyes. It's a very distinct bump above the water.

[Chainfire]

28. True, and if you are in doubt that the local lake or pond has gators, just take a strong flashlight

and scan the water after dark and look for the red "reflectors." You may be surprised at how many you will see. Don't worry about the green "reflectors" they are frogs.

[Baitball Blogger]

31. LOL. Good tip.

I don't usually walk along the lake after dark, but it's good to know.

[shrike3]

33. Thanks for your insights. n/t

[Hortensis]

39. So true. They are a fact of life and supposed to be.

Though they're afraid of people, of course we're food, just a lot bigger than the small critters they normally eat. This poor woman probably walked the edge of that lake with her small dog almost every day.

Our third of an acre down there borders marsh on two sides, our ancient MH (our winter "fishing shack" ) and the covered patio we spend so much time on are only 25 feet of open "lawn" from the water on those sides. It's beautiful and we love the wildlife, but it should be farther. We're missing it this year, but neighbors say the latest regular (Herschel) favoring a particularly nice place to sun in "secret" across the water from our patio may be about 7 feet now. They say the big ones that live in an island of willows they see from their living room are around 9 to 12.

We just don't sit or walk routinely by the water. My chaise where I can read in the sun while watching the marsh is on another side where it can be farther away. When Hershel started watching for and going after the fishing line my husband liked to drop in before breakfast, training even a gator who always rushes to hide when we walk toward him to rapidly follow the lure he was reeling in seemed like a bad idea, as trolling a small pet along the shore each day would.

[ecstatic]

56. A friend's mom who lives in Florida said she can't get a small dog right now

due to gators in the community. They have a lake too. Should I tell my friend to tell her mom to call wildlife control or is this sort of thing OK as long as people take precautions? I can't imagine living like that.

[GusBob]

25. Nobody goes to Florida anymore it's too crowded

The ‘I ain’t setting foot in Florida’ comments on DU make me smile

Nearly 1000 people a day move to Florida. From all over the world actually

I left there after living there for 25 years. Went back to visit over the holidays and man the traffic and all the new businesses and housing everywhere I 95 is wall to wall cars

A boycott of Florida is completely ineffectual

[Baitball Blogger]

27. The area from The Villages into Orlando is ridicuous.

You can't tell me that they planned for the growth. We need two more lanes, both ways.

[GusBob]

29. The community I used to live in

Used to be small townish now it’s metropolitan
The residents are complaining about the growth but the city leaders are open arms to it

[Baitball Blogger]

30. Of course they're open arms to growth.

They claim they want business for the tax value, but then give them all kinds of perks to move in.

[GusBob]

32. See above comment

1000 new customers a day is the only perk you need

I shouldn’t complain. Our business there is thriving, just crazy busy

And the old homestead grows in value everyday

That’s why these “boycott Florida” comments make me smile

[spinbaby]

44. Through Orlando is ridiculous

I4 is always backed up and under construction. Usually there’s an accident.

[shrike3]

34. "I won't have to shovel snow."

You're right, weather is very important to people, which is why there'll be no boycott of Florida.

[GusBob]

35. Wellllll

A DUer recently bragged that he or she has been boycotting it since 2001 and everyone else should too!

Seems to be not working out.

In fact some Floridians might say: yes please, stay in New Jersey thank you

[EX500rider]

36. Yeah as a resident I wish the boycott was a little more effective come on people do your part

"Preliminary figures show that in 2022, Florida received approximately 137.6 million visitors (not including residents), the largest number of visitors in the state's history. "

I guess not everyone agrees with du's view that it's such a hell hole.

[Chainfire]

37. I wish that people were not still coming to Florida.

The ones that already came flipped our state's government from solid Democrats to far-right Republicans. Less than 40% of the 21.5 million Floridians were born here. Rick Scott, a rather infamous former governor and present U.S. Senator, came here from Illinois...He ain't no cracker! Republican hotspots, like "The Villages" are overwhelmingly imported "Floridians." Many of the qualities of current "Floridians" that people despise were brought here from elsewhere. . When you laugh at the antics of the famous, "Florida Man" chances are he came here from somewhere else and brought his idiocy with him.

As far as Florida visitors, 131,000,000 came here in '19, so we are apparently not outcast of the nation yet.

Florida is a mixing bowl of the nation and that is why our slide to Fascism should be a harbinger of danger for the rest of you. We are showing you, as the third most populous state, what you have to look forward to unless you figure out how to stop it.

[GusBob]

41. Well said

I reckon tourists and retirees don’t bother with AP, anti-woke, hurricanes, gators, pythons or creeps and criminals from elsewhere

[FakeNoose]

46. That's almost half the entire population of the USA

Are you sure that 131 million people visited Florida in one year?

[GusBob]

48. People from all over the country and the world

Think about it, airports, seaports, conventions, Spring breakers, etc

Shit sporting events alone, pro, college, bowl games, nascar

Bike week alone brings nearly a million to Daytona

[Chainfire]

51. I didn't count them personally, so I can't be sure. ;)

If you do a quick search I think you will find that that was the number for '19.

[EX500rider]

60. That was in 2019

Last year we hit a record 137 million.

[shrike3]

62. Most if not all of the people I know who've moved to Florida were already red state types

And year-round sunny weather is on their minds, not schools, not politics. Not LGBTQ or women's rights.

[11 Bravo]

45. Yogi, is that you?

[Mariana]

55. Nearly 1000 people a day move to Florida.

Indeed. Most of them are retired Boomers who vote Republican.

[Princess Turandot]

47. They fished a alligator out of a lake in Brooklyn's Prospect Park earlier this week...

https://apnews.com/article/climate-and-environment-brooklyn-new-york-city-animals-f5914137cc03e5bfc1b88ca1a836c142
https://www.kaaltv.com/news/us-world-news/alligator-pulled-from-nyc-lake-had-swallowed-bathtub-stopper/

It's not doing too well because of the cold, and is underweight. The vets at the Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo are trying to save it.

[Brenda]

52. What a macabre thing to post.

Is this all DU is now? Sensationalism? This is what gets the replies and recs.

Such a shame. Used to be better.

[Celerity]

61. +1

[Zeitghost]

64. I've learned

That DU loves ferrel invasive cattle and want to save them so they can continue to destroy wilderness areas they don't belong in while at the same time waiting native gators who have lived in Florida for thousands of years to be removed so that we can have housing developments.

SMFH