Cops Find Alligator With Human Body In Its Mouth
 

I know this lake. It's not far from where I used to live. And it's right in the middle of Town. :eek:

There are thousand of alligators in the lakes in Central Florida. I saw them all the time when I lived there. But for the most part they are shy of humans. For good reason. They were slaughtered to the brink of extinction for their hides and meat back in the day. They've made a big comeback since coming under protection.

Ironic that the Police Department's spokeman's last name is "Gross".

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...b08f74f6c0a330

I believe this protection has gone too far.

Sometimes I visit Central Florida and there I noticed they have mini ponds in the middle of housing developments. :eek:

While driving down a main street in The Poinciana/Kissimmee area I noticed a very large gator sunning himself near the side of the road.

The animal lovers have really gone nuts there.

Back in the early 90's I used to take my kids out to the Poinciana area to practice shooting. It was subdivided and the streets were laid out, but there were hardly any houses built yet. I had a little .22 Ruger Mark II back then. We'd set up some targets, start shooting and right away you'd start hearing this rattling sound coming from all the rattlesnake dens. They were all over the place. I imagine when they built the houses they slaughtered them wholesale. When I was a kid there were rattlesnakes all over the fucking pace. Now you hardly ever see one.

In the 90's! Damn!

Poinciana has really changed. It has morning and evening traffic jams.
The houses seemed to be still reasonably priced.

It appears a good job was done on the rattlesnakes. The gators, however, need areas reserve for them. I cannot understand this degree of love for gators so much that conservationist insist on putting and keeping them among the residents.

It was very early 90's.

Like 1991 and 92.

According to this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poinciana,_Florida

The population was about 8,000 in 1994.

And by 2010 it was 53,000.:eek:

Florida is a crazy assed place for development.

I've know plenty of people that brought houses out in the "country" and within 5 years they find themselves smack dab in the middle of suburbia.

Yesterday: Toddler grabbed by gator at Disney, Orlando.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/child-drag...ry?id=39863870

The state of Florida has 1.3 million gators. :eek:

After no kid after hours of searching, cop spokesman remained 'optimisitc.' Real PR pro, that one.

This is highly unusual for an Alligator.

In fact, I've never heard of anything like this.

I've heard of rare occasions where they would take a dog off the bank, but never a kid.

But I have seen people do really stupid things.

Like feeding them.

Yeah, it doesn't sound good at all. :(

Because things like this happen when animals lose their fear of humans and begin to associate us with food.

fixed.;)

The dernier American cri (Cincinnati, Orlando): feeding animals with little kids. Cool.

Its' probable that the gorilla in Cincinnati was protecting the child. He was handling the kid in the same way that they handle their own young. If the gorilla had wanted to kill the child, that would have happened in the first several seconds.

Re: the Florida incident mentioned in the OP, alligators eat carrion they like their meat a little gamey and will frequently take a kill to the bottom and wedge it under a submerged log or other likely spot. Then after it has ripened a bit, they'll return to dine at leisure.

So, it's possible that the alligator didn't kill the man he was found with and that the body was dumped in the lake and the 'gator did what 'gators do. Probably happens a lot in Florida. Since alligators can digest bone, there would be nothing left forensically. Of course, the 'gator could have killed him too.

The powers that be in Florida have a fascination with gators.

Gators are promoted as part of the state's image. I believe that is the main reason why gators' population has exploded.

My daughter's friend who lives in the Kissimmee/Poinciana area called the relevant people concerning a gator which was seen prowling her back yard.

The attitude she got was: What did you expect after you invaded the gators' space? :D

Alligator size conversion factors.*

Tourist estimates alligator to be 5 feet long = Alligator is 3 Feet long.

Tourist estimates alligator to be 8 feet long = Alligator is 5 Feet long.

Tourist estimates alligator to be 12 feet long = Alligator is 8 Feet long.

Tourist estimates alligator to be 20 feet long = Alligator is 12 Feet long.

* The same factors apply to sharks.

I was snorkeling in the Caymans one and looked up to find a 12 foot long barracuda staring onto my eyes.;)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/child-dragg...ry?id=39863870

:(

Sad.

Very sad for the family. I hope they get a fat settlement and Disney loses a crapload of visitors.

Last alligator I saw must have been 50 feet long......

Alligators don't do saltwater, silly goose. :cool: