Large gator searches for a mate

[Racerbvd]

Bummer, I hate it when one of these guys die

Large gator searches for a mate only to end up dead in south Lee County
CRISTELA GUERRA and MARK S. KRZOS • cguerra@news-press.com mkrzos@news-press.com • April 8, 2010

Crawling from a drainage swale Thursday was one of Florida’s most eligible bachelors.


An adult male alligator took to the streets of south Lee County, in rush-hour traffic. It was probably looking for a mate, authorities surmise.



Turns out the reptilian Romeo was looking for love in all the wrong places.


By the time nuisance gator trapper Tracy Hansen could reach the scene, a Lee County sheriff’s deputy had shot the reptile dead.


“This is the time of year when gators are becoming active,” said Lt. Gary Morse, spokesman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “They’re looking for new territories and new places to feed, as well as mates.”


The incursion, which began near the parking lot of Tires Plus on U.S. 41 just south of Gladiolus Drive, started around 4:30 p.m.


At about 9 feet, 4 inches, this was “a good-size gator,” Hansen said.


Ron Sapaugh, manager of the tire store, said the sighting ranks up there with the crazy things he’s seen in his life.


“He came out of nowhere,” Sapaugh said. “The Hendry Creek runs behind our building, but it’s pretty far back there.”


With curious crowds gathering in parking lots, the gator began zigzagging between Tires Plus and The Salvation Army building.


A Lee County detective was flagged down by one of Sapaugh’s employees and soon, deputies arrived. That, Sapaugh said, is when the alligator decided to cross U.S. 41.


Deputies scrambled to close the six-lane highway in both directions as the gator made its way onto the road.


“He got about halfway across the southbound lanes and just stopped,” Sapaugh said. “It looked like he was tired. Then he got up and walked into the median and stopped again.”


After a minute or two, the alligator again attempted to cross U.S. 41. As the gator moseyed across the northbound lanes, keeping traffic at a standstill, spectators gathered in the parking lot of BMW of Fort Myers.


In the end, surrounded by deputies in a drainage ditch between U.S. 41 and the BMW dealership, the alligator started acting aggressively and hissing, said John Sheehan, spokesman for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.


“When it started crawling up an embankment toward people, it became a public safety issue,” Sheehan said.


“We didn’t want to shoot it,” he said. “There was only so much we could do. It became a threat. It was a last resort.”

[Jim Bremner]

Add it to your PIG BBQ?

[URY914]

Remember to zig-zag when you run from it.

[Z-man]

Note to self -- I really don't need to complain about those pesky racoons in my yard....

-Z

[TerryBPP]

Right up the street from me. There are sooooo many gators now they are becoming a problem. Funny, the state put them on endangered list for 10 yrs and their population soared to 3 times the highest pop. ever recorded. I guess the brain's forgot they are reptiles and lays 10-20 eggs in a shot.

[RWebb]

Byron - if the gators tend to cross the street in a certain area, a little push might get something built that will allow them to cross w/o mishap.

FL state Hwy Dept. is well known for being at the forefront of avoiding traffic & wildlife conflicts with some advanced studies & designs. They may have data on locations of conflicts/roadkill.

If it is a city street or county road still might be worth a try.

Also, the state wildlife Dept. (aka Fish & Game) probably has info.

[targa911S]

I agree it's sad when one of these big guys gets shot.

Somebody is gonna get a nice pair of boots outta him.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by RWebb

Byron - if the gators tend to cross the street in a certain area, a little push might get something built that will allow them to cross w/o mishap.

FL state Hwy Dept. is well known for being at the forefront of avoiding traffic & wildlife conflicts with some advanced studies & designs. They may have data on locations of conflicts/roadkill.

If it is a city street or county road still might be worth a try.

Also, the state wildlife Dept. (aka Fish & Game) probably has info.

Thanks Randy, but Terry is correct, and they have a hunting season for these guys. Most of the time, these guys don't wait around for people, but when they go into town, they get confused & lost..

I still remeber, back when I was in 4th grade, coming home from school to find a bunch of people in our side yard (we lived on a corner lot) only to see them taking away an 8 foot gator. The gator ad been trying to get through the wooden fence into our pool.. That would have been a shock to me since I waould always come home & jump right in the pool and every since then I have liked Gators.

[URY914]

They can get sorta big...

[crustychief]

Slow and rusty could have used it to search his house!


oops, I thought alligator was in the list.

[RWebb]

Terry - yes, they are called "R-selected" high rate of increase in the popn (opposite is K-selected, low "tendency" to increase but better able to keep a popn -- mmm - let's say stable)

despite a high popn & now being a hunted species - it still might be possible to get FL agencies to put in some crossings - it DOES cost tax money - crossing would reduce conflicts with humans (i.e. mangled kids)

Here are a few [general] tidbits I pulled off der internet:

3 animal crossings coming to busy Oracle Road

Critter Crossings - Computer Model Highway-Wildlife Relationships (Text Only Version)

JSTOR: An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie

Conservation Magazine » Blog Archive » Road Kill

http://www.icoet.net/ICOET_2005/proceedings/06IPCh9-442-460.pdf

[Z-man]

Originally Posted by RWebb

Byron - if the gators tend to cross the street in a certain area, a little push might get something built that will allow them to cross w/o mishap..

Up north, they have deer crossing signs - that's where the deer know to cross... I suppose they can put up some Alligator crossing signs for the Gators in FLA....

Actually, there are some bridges that span some interstates in NJ that are 'natural' bridges. They are covered in dirt and have small trees growing on them - this allows critters like deer and fox to cross from one side of the highway to another. (An example of this in NJ is on Rt 78 near Berkeley Heights)

I suppose a wet tunnel under the highway could do the same for gators, but I wouldn't want to be the inspector of those passageways!

-Z-man.

[TerryBPP]

Originally Posted by Z-man

Up north, they have deer crossing signs - that's where the deer know to cross... I suppose they can put up some Alligator crossing signs for the Gators in FLA....

Actually, there are some bridges that span some interstates in NJ that are 'natural' bridges. They are covered in dirt and have small trees growing on them - this allows critters like deer and fox to cross from one side of the highway to another. (An example of this in NJ is on Rt 78 near Berkeley Heights)

I suppose a wet tunnel under the highway could do the same for gators, but I wouldn't want to be the inspector of those passageways!

-Z-man.

An alligator x-ing? You crazy Yankees.

Seriously, they are not intelligent creatures. Deer are mammals with moderate cunning. You shoot enough deer in one location and the rest will stay away. You shoot a gator and the rest will come to eat it.

Thin the population or look for them in your pool (as my B man experienced).

[RWebb]

yeh, but the original post was that Byron likes them (in moderation, no doubt)

there are all sorts of wildlife you don't want in the backyard

for example: there is a croc (a gator is a kinder, gentler relative) that can swim underwater, build up some serious speed and then lunge out of the water like a porpoise breaching and reach several feet up into a tree to grab a relative of ours from the overhanging branch

for more fun look up mosasaur