Thursday, March 28

Florida Officials: Now that It’s Spring, Look Out for the Alligators (All 1.3 million of Them)

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If you’re in Florida in the next few months, here’s a timely warning from the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Look out for the alligators. They’re more active in warm, spring weather, and their mating season is from April to June.

The state has 1.3 million alligators, so you could easily come across them near lakes, ponds, rivers, golf courses, or just about anywhere else they want to go. Indeed, a few days ago, a 12-foot-long gator weighing more than 700 pounds was caught while it was wandering around an office park near Jupiter.

The Fish and Wildlife people say that gators like to control their body temperature by basking in the sun, which makes them easy to see. The state officials say you should keep your distance no matter where they are; you should never feed them, and you should keep pets on a leash so that the gators don’t confuse them with their natural food. Finally, you should go swimming only in daylight hours, and only in designated swimming areas.

Adult alligators can be fairly intimidating. Females can grow up to 10 feet, but males can be as large as 14 feet and weigh up to 1,000 pounds.

If you see an alligator that’s a threat to people or pets, you can call the Fish and Wildlife alligator nuisance hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR. They will send a contracted alligator trapper to deal with the situation. Read more:

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/2399859?fbclid=IwAR0zbktLSMejFaa2gA6pHYSYquwMm0BIRxIwMmVsWWYzYkof_mY-fRVycgw#.XJ0XEFHhB-4.facebook

 

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