News Release

Leave wildlife alone, urges FWC

May 23, 2008
Contact: Stan Kirkland, 850-265-3676

This time of year, wildlife is on the move. Critters, such as alligators, may be looking for new bodies of water or mates; snakes may be searching for prey; bears may be foraging. While moving from one point to another, wildlife sometimes comes face to face with people.  

When that happens, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) urges the people to leave wild animals alone and just let them pass through.

The FWC, in the past two weeks, has responded to two situations where alligators have bitten people.

On May 15, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office received a call that an alligator was at an apartment complex in Deltona. Officials notified a licensed alligator trapper, but in the meantime, a deputy sheriff attempted to capture the 8-foot gator himself. The deputy sustained a bite on his left leg and had to be airlifted to the hospital. Another deputy shot the alligator several times before the trapper arrived and killed it.

In another incident on May 21, a 4-foot alligator made its way to a woman’s front yard near Vernon. She called the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and was told to leave the alligator alone and eventually it would move on. Not satisfied with this sage advice, the woman called a neighbor, who called a 16-year-old neighbor to remove the reptile.

As the young man attempted to catch the gator, he was bitten on the hand. Another teenager rushed up and stabbed the animal, still clamped down on his friend’s hand. The injured teenager was treated at an area hospital and will be fine. The alligator was destroyed.

Animals looking for new areas to forage, hunt or mate do not typically pose a threat to people. Unfortunately, as Florida’s human population grows and development occurs in wildlife habitats, conflicts will continue to occur.

Wildlife biologists say generally the best thing to do is give any wild animal plenty of space, and in most instances, the animal will eventually move on. Untrained people who step in to resolve conflicts with wildlife risk serious injury or worse. In most instances, the best thing to do is leave the animal alone or call the FWC.

If a potentially dangerous animal doesn’t leave your yard, or persistently enters your yard, call FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).