2nd Fatal FL Alligator Attack

[tybee204]

The problem is we are running out of less inhabited areas. Those areas are already supporting what their eco-system can. If we move all the animals from the areas being developed to green space the ego systems would crash. The added alligators would eat all the birds and other wild life which would then reak havoc on the entire balance.

 

[Cheetah]

From the Palm Beach Post:

ROYAL PALM BEACH — An alligator killed a Yorkie-Maltese mix on Tuesday, sneaking up on and snatching the pup when she scurried out of her owner's interior design shop.

Michael Rochefort was fixing the back door when Malibu made a beeline past his feet and toward the water.

"The gator just came up and grabbed her. It went across to the other side of the lake with the dog in its mouth."

MORE AT LINK

 

[concernedperson]

When I lived in Sarasota this happened to a 4 year old. Snatched up quickly. This was in a pond that was part of the neighborhood for years.So, I am not quick to jump on the new development aspect.

I saw a report on CNN early this morning about alligators and their quick response. Mostly, it talked about them being cold-blooded predators.And that it is natural for them. I don't know the full answer but I would't live by a pond. And, like the lady who shot an intruder, I would do the same.

I guess everywhere we live has certain precautions attached to it.

I had a coral snake in my yard (big for a coral..3-4 feet) and the animal control person said this was because of new development. That the natural habitat was destroyed.

 

[tybee204]

Here on Tybee there is alot of developement going on. The area I live in is one of the last "greenspace" areas still around. This year we are overrun with raccoons. All of their habitats on the Island have been developed and they are trying to survive on what area and food is left for them.

On another note Tybee Island has never been a den for alligators. We have dont have any fresh water streams, ponds etc. In the last couple years we have started having alligators. They are being driven out of their inland habitats by development and swimming here. I saw one just a couple weeks ago sunning in the road.

 

[Nova]

Here on Tybee there is alot of developement going on. The area I live in is one of the last "greenspace" areas still around. This year we are overrun with raccoons. All of their habitats on the Island have been developed and they are trying to survive on what area and food is left for them.

On another note Tybee Island has never been a den for alligators. We have dont have any fresh water streams, ponds etc. In the last couple years we have started having alligators. They are being driven out of their inland habitats by development and swimming here. I saw one just a couple weeks ago sunning in the road.

Yikes, Tybee. We too are overrun with raccoons. Does that mean the alligators come next?

 

[concernedperson]

I guess being driven out of their natural habitat and the fact that humans feed them will result in tragedy.I can't get over that 3 women were killed. Especially, the jogger with her feet in the water.How innocent is that? The scuba diver is more vulnerable. The other lady we need more facts on.

In any case, it is awful. I was privy to some searches for Tara Grinstead and the facts of the alligator dens were horrible. I couple all with first hand knowledge and speculative opinions. I am not going to be around alligators anytime soon.

 

[Liz]

I agree Tybee, but I can't understand why the Natural Resources people wouldn't help my brother and their neighbors. After all, they moved into a neighborhood, not the Everglades. There are hazards everywhere. A little kid not far from here was bitten by a bat that got into his bedroom and is dying of rabies. Sometimes these things happen, but if trained people can safely move the animal to a less inhabited area, why not? Three people have died, probably doing stupid things, but what about kids?

Eve

Eve, I'm not sure of the circumstances regarding this gator in your bro's neighborhool. But, I'm wondering if maybe your brother didn't contact the right people? He should contact his regional office of the Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, if he feels this gator is really a threat to the neighborhood. From what I understand IF that is the case and the gator is over 5 4 ft, in an inhabited area, it should be relocated.

Darn, I'd seen an 800 number the other day for FL residents to call, but I don't recall what it was.
It was something like 800-FL-Gator. I tried calling that number and it sounded like a sex chat line! lol! So DON'T have him call that number!

 

[Amraann]

A gator will not be removed unless it is a threat.

A gator living in a pond not eating tiny dogs is not a threat.. On that note dogs and small children are a natural prey.

Their movement and motion by and in the water mimic that of other small species the gators eat.

Eve I do have to ask why should the gator be moved???
We moved into his neighborhood not the other way around.
If you move to the gators neighborhood then you should know the basic precautions not expect to move every creature that annoys you.

 

[Liz]

I guess being driven out of their natural habitat and the fact that humans feed them will result in tragedy.I can't get over that 3 women were killed. Especially, the jogger with her feet in the water.How innocent is that? The scuba diver is more vulnerable. The other lady we need more facts on.

In any case, it is awful. I was privy to some searches for Tara Grinstead and the facts of the alligator dens were horrible. I couple all with first hand knowledge and speculative opinions. I am not going to be around alligators anytime soon.

CP, I personally think that part of the prob is when ignorant people feed the gators! They may think it's cute to feed them when they're small and that causes the gators to lose their natural fear of humans.

That was just a rumor about the gal dangling her feet over the water, and they have been unable to find any witnesses to that after it was first reported. She was jogging in Sunrise, off of State Road 84, which runs along a canal, when she was attacked.

And, of course the fact that we humans are encroaching on their natural habitats doesn't help any either. But, we've been doing that for decades and there's never been anything reported before like all the aggressiveness and attacks reported these last couple of weeks. It's highly unusual, really.

 

[concernedperson]

CP, I personally think that part of the prob is when ignorant people feed the gators! They may think it's cute to feed them when they're small and that causes the gators to lose their natural fear of humans.

That was just a rumor about the gal dangling her feet over the water, and they have been unable to find any witnesses to that after it was first reported. She was jogging in Sunrise, off of State Road 84, which runs along a canal, when she was attacked.

And, of course the fact that we humans are encroaching on their natural habitats doesn't help any either. But, we've been doing that for decades and there's never been anything reported before like all the aggressiveness and attacks reported these last couple of weeks. It's highly unusual, really.

I guess I always try to be politically correct. I will now say there is something bad wrong with these alligators.

Granted they are prehistoric but we all have to learn to live together. If they won't play neither will I.Just shoot them if they are attacking your child or your dog.Their part in the eco-system looses me after humans are killed.I don't see their contribution.

 

[Nova]

CP, I personally think that part of the prob is when ignorant people feed the gators! They may think it's cute to feed them when they're small and that causes the gators to lose their natural fear of humans.

That was just a rumor about the gal dangling her feet over the water, and they have been unable to find any witnesses to that after it was first reported. She was jogging in Sunrise, off of State Road 84, which runs along a canal, when she was attacked.

And, of course the fact that we humans are encroaching on their natural habitats doesn't help any either. But, we've been doing that for decades and there's never been anything reported before like all the aggressiveness and attacks reported these last couple of weeks. It's highly unusual, really.

Liz, isn't Sunrise quite a few miles north of State Road 84? I grew up in between the two and went to school in Davie, where the first report put the attack. I'm just wondering how much those towns have expanded?

 

[Liz]

Liz, isn't Sunrise quite a few miles north of State Road 84? I grew up in between the two and went to school in Davie, where the first report put the attack. I'm just wondering how much those towns have expanded?

I'm not sure, Nova. Although I thought Sunrise was a ways from SR 84, I am not that familiar with the Broward area. Only know it from relatives and friends who live and/or used to live there. (I know my friends in Cooper City and Davie always allude to SR 84 being nearby.)

Here are quotes from an article, similar to the one I'd read that lead me to believe that it was near:

Medical examiner confirms woman jogger was killed by alligator in Sunrise
*
SUNRISE -- A Davie woman found floating in a canal near Markham Park was stalked and killed by an alligator, then dragged into the water, an autopsy confirmed on Thursday.

Yovy Suarez Jimenez, 28, was apparently attacked on land and dragged into the canal near State Road 84. <snip>

The dismembered body was found near a bridge off S.R. 84 on Wednesday by construction workers. She was wearing jogging shoes and clothing. Officials said she went for a jog Tuesday evening and never returned home.

Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/lo...ay11,0,4583407.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Maybe where her body was found floating was not that close to where she was attacked?

 

[Liz]

I guess I always try to be politically correct. I will now say there is something bad wrong with these alligators.

Granted they are prehistoric but we all have to learn to live together. If they won't play neither will I.Just shoot them if they are attacking your child or your dog.Their part in the eco-system looses me after humans are killed.I don't see their contribution.

LOL, CP. I find it strange that FL has laws that allow a person to shoot a human IF that person feels threatened or that their lives are in danger. From what I understand, it's Shoot first, ask questions later.

I guess those same laws do not apply to predators in animal form!?

Sometimes it appears that other species are much more highly valued than the human species. Of course, many times animal species are more humane than humans. Thinking of J. Duncan, here.

 

[concernedperson]

LOL, CP. I find it strange that FL has laws that allow a person to shoot a human IF that person feels threatened or that their lives are in danger. From what I understand, it's Shoot first, ask questions later.

I guess those same laws do not apply to predators in animal form!?

Sometimes it appears that other species are much more highly valued than the human species. Of course, many times animal species are more humane than humans. Thinking of J. Duncan, here.

I guess Duncan and other predators would fall into that category. I can actually think of him as that kind of predator. Take anything that is vulnerable. But, it doesn't make it right or more palatable.We have to value humans more even if we don't like all of them.

 

[j2mirish]

i just think sometimes, people try to think these guys are cute- feed them marshmellow, ect, then bam--- a bad day--

i was glad to see that people that were raised in fl didnt grow up going in the water, like i said- been here 8 years, and would never even consider the thought-- snorkling???? dangling my toes in the water...nuh- uh--- not gonna happen....as a matter of fact, i took my kids, 9 & 10 at the time back to indiana last july, went to my dads lake home--- we were standing on the dock, and i told the kids i was going to dive in and go swimming--- my daughter about had a heart attack, and wanted to know about the alligators..cause she only knows florida waters...LOL

 

[eve]

A gator will not be removed unless it is a threat.

A gator living in a pond not eating tiny dogs is not a threat.. On that note dogs and small children are a natural prey.

Their movement and motion by and in the water mimic that of other small species the gators eat.

Eve I do have to ask why should the gator be moved???
We moved into his neighborhood not the other way around.
If you move to the gators neighborhood then you should know the basic precautions not expect to move every creature that annoys you.

Well, Amraann, you said it yourself, dogs and small children are natural prey. This is an established neighborhood in Sarasota, a highly developed city. The kids in the neighborhood can't play in their back yards near the pond. I still think human lives are more valuable than an alligator's, with all due respect to nature. My brother contacted the authorities and they have your view. Until the gator does something they won't relocate it. That being the case, I hope my little niece and nephew aren't the cause of something finally being done! I would never suggest moving creatures for the annoyance factor. Kids (and adults) have been killed by gators. More than a mere annoyance. It's true, the humans moved in, but that's happened everywhere for centuries. We try to protect wildlife now, back in the old days, our ancestors would have blasted that gator, pronto.

Eve

 

[RiverRat]

Home is where the heart is - my heart is my family, so I can't just up and move. If that's what I deserve (gators, hurricanes, sexual predators, hanging chads, non-native pythons, etc) because my roots where planted long before my time, it's a good thing that I'm a tough little beach!

Hunkered Down!
RR

 

[Liz]

I found that telephone number to call for problem gators.

If you encounter an alligator over four feet in length that poses a threat to humans or property, call 1-866-FWC-GATOR (392-4286). The FWC will evaluate your complaint and if necessary send a contracted trapper to remove the animal.

Source:
http://myfwc.com/gators/faq/lwa.htm


Heya RiverRat ... do you mind sharing what area of FL that the snook are biting that you mentioned above? My brother just loves snook fishing!
Years ago, we spent 10 days on the Hump off of Marco Island and *I* didn't catch a single snook.

 

[Nova]

LOL, CP. I find it strange that FL has laws that allow a person to shoot a human IF that person feels threatened or that their lives are in danger. From what I understand, it's Shoot first, ask questions later.

I guess those same laws do not apply to predators in animal form!?

Sometimes it appears that other species are much more highly valued than the human species. Of course, many times animal species are more humane than humans. Thinking of J. Duncan, here.

Liz, when I was a kid in Broward County, gators were severely depleted due to overhunting. The laws were enacted not to discount people, but to protect the animals from extinction. Maybe they need to be rewritten now.

Thanks for article. I think Sunrise (4 or 5 miles north of SR84) is where the story was filed. SR84 probably still runs along the northern border of Davie. (I grew up in Plantation, which lies in between.)

 

[RiverRat]

Tell your brother to try out the Peace River, it's right down the road from him!