Call the police, there’s a wild animal in my backyard!
May 26th, 2007 by admin
Alligator mating season in Florida is roughly April-June. This is typically the time of year when alligators are most active. This year, the ongoing drought has caused alligators to be even more mobile than usual. Although you are now more likely to see one of these magnificent animals, experts say there is not an increased risk of alligators attacking humans. Despite this fact, the site of an alligator inexplicably strikes terror in the hearts of some Florida residents.
This week, a local television station reported that an alligator had taken up residence in a lake in a neighborhood in Miami Lakes. Although the alligator had not threatened anyone, someone (illegally) tried to capture the alligator with a rope; the alligator had also been shot with a spear gun. Shortly after the news report, a trapper arrived and “removed” (a.k.a. killed) the innocent animal.
On Friday, the Tampa Tribune reported that an alligator had been spotted in a Wesley Chapel neighborhood. Residents watched from a safe distance as the poor, confused animal walked through backyards. One resident had some common sense, telling the paper, “I would be of the mind to leave this one alone. If they trap it, they’ll kill it, and what’s the point of that? It’s not hurting anybody.” Unfortunately, someone did call a trapper and the alligator was killed.
Last week, a small Yorkshire terrier who was exploring the edge of a pond in Daytona Beach was killed by an alligator. Although the alligator was never a threat to humans, trappers were called and the offending alligator was killed. The Daytona Beach News-Journal expressed our opinions exactly in a recent editorial. The paper wrote, “Sympathies for the dog’s owner, of course. Cherished pets are like family. But why compound the loss with an act of senseless punishment?”