What to do if you see an alligator in your neighborhood – NBC Miami (51)

Ignacio Blanco visits Caballero Rivero Woodland West Cemetery at least twice a year and says it’s always very quiet, but the last time, he saw something disturbed his peace. “I see an alligator, and an alligator basking in the sun in the middle of the pond,” Blanco says.

There, in the middle of a small lake located inside the cemetery, a crocodile was basking in the sun. “I know we live in Florida and you always have to be careful with this, but it’s different when you see it,” Blanco explains.

Despite the signs next to the water, Ignacio Blanco felt he had to do something. “I called the ladies in the office, and they were so nice,” she says.

Cemetery management told us they have contacted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, better known as the FWC, which is responsible for removing alligators deemed dangerous. says Georges Reynaud, an official with The Fish and Sea, Florida Wildlife Commission.

In this link, the FWC explains how to live with an alligator: https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/gators/spanish/

A big part of the agency’s job is to teach this to the public, but they say that rarely can an alligator be a danger if it has lost its natural fear of people because it has been fed illegally. “Once you determine that at that point, you have to permanently remove alligators or caimans from that lake or channel,” says Reynaud.

If so, you can call 866-392-4286 and they will send a team to remove it permanently.

It was a team like this that removed the alligator that recently attacked an 85-year-old woman in St. Lucie County. The woman was walking her pet near a community lake when her pet was attacked by an alligator and when she tried to save him, she ended up losing her life. “Incidents with an alligator or alligator or someone being bitten are not uncommon,” says Reynaud.

According to the FWC, between 1948 and 2021, only 26 of the 442 unprovoked bites in the state resulted in human deaths; Including a two-year-old playing on a lakeshore at Disney in 2016. “When Orlando happened, my kid was the same age,” says Ignacio Blanco.

The FWC says most bites can be prevented by staying away from places where we know alligators might be. “If you have a pet, always keep them on a leash and keep a safe distance from the water because if they are on the beach or if you let your pet go into the water for a swim, they may attract an alligator or alligator because they are the natural prey of a crocodile or alligator,” explains Reynaud.

In the case of the cemetery, it was not determined that the alligator was large enough or a danger to the community, so it was not removed. All he wants, says Ignacio Blanco, is for people to be vigilant. “They know that, maybe not this one, there’s an alligator,” Blanco says.

Normally to remove an alligator or alligator it must be at least 4 feet long. Saint Lucy was about 11 feet long.