OMG I was watching the news and a 12 year old boy was swimming in a River in Orlando, Florida was attcked and killed by an Alligator! 
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12 year old killed in florida!
- Thread starter darthdarrel
- Start date
tiggerlover1971
New Member
ok I hate to say this but why would he swim in a river or canal everyone who lives in florida should know there are alligators in those waters
General Grizz
New Member
Horrible story...
Either the gators will get you here or the sea bacteria...
Either the gators will get you here or the sea bacteria...
careship
New Member
This will sound cold and callous I am sure. I have 2 boys that age myself. If you go swimming where gators play, you can't expect to be safe. He saw them and continued to stay in the water. Now, 7 or 8 gators have been trapped and killed due to this incident. A boy shouldn't have died, but what about the gators? Did they all deserve this? It's what they do. They have no code of ethics that tells them don't eat a kid or someone's pet. However, the child and his parents should know don't play with alligators. If it was a child maybe 7 or 8 and younger, I would be saying something else. But my kids that are that age know better then that and we don't have gators in Michigan. The whole thing should have never happened. The child should have stayed out of the water and then he'd be ok and the gators would be allowed to go on with their normal life. I am not some animal advocate or a person who hates kids. Just a mom with an opinion. Sorry if I offended anyone. Especially if the boys parents were on here.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Lemmie guess - They forgot to mention he was using A-1 for sunscreen? :lol:
I dont mean to make light, but if you see an gator, you're gonna lose if you get too close. So i'm going away, like far away. I'm not steve irwin (gators and crocs hell no, snakes yes) so there's no way i'm going to stick around if i see a gator. I know where i am on the food chain and in the circle of life, and i'm determioned to stay on top ....
I agree that it is sheer stupidity,but it is still sad!
monorail256
Member
:lookaroun ...tick-tock tick-tock tick-tock":lookaroun
Yes, it is sad. But as all of you have said.. it really was stupid of him to go in there.. especially after throwing rocks at the poor thing. :dazzle:
Yes, it is sad. But as all of you have said.. it really was stupid of him to go in there.. especially after throwing rocks at the poor thing. :dazzle:
atownsend
New Member
Alligator presence need not be tragic
The dangerous reptiles are a fact of Florida life. Coexisting peacefully with them depends on several important rules.
By ADRIENNE LU
© St. Petersburg Times
published June 20, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST. PETERSBURG - One day last summer, Christopher Dixon took his 10-year-old son for an unforgettable fishing trip at Lake Maggiore.
The boy was standing near the shore when all of a sudden, Dixon said, an alligator "came out of the water charging at my son." Dixon threw a brick and whatever else he could find at the alligator, which retreated before it could do any harm.
"He told me he'll never go freshwater fishing again," Dixon, 33, said Thursday, fishing with a buddy at Lake Maggiore.
It's a fact of Florida living. If you're near freshwater, be it a retention pond, stream, lake or even backyard pool, a leathery alligator could be lurking.
"I don't care what kind of body of water you have in the state of Florida, you have the potential for alligators," said Louis J. Guillette Jr., a professor of zoology at the University of Florida.
A 12-year-old boy was killed by an alligator in Lake County on Wednesday knew there were alligators in the river where he and his friends had been swimming. But experts say people should be cautious anywhere there's water.
With the mating season wrapping up, male alligators are still in their aggressive stage, guarding territory from other males and wandering as far as they need to in search of females. The summer rain showers don't help matters, adding to the number of streams and ponds the reptiles can use to get from one place to the next, Guillette said.
Alligators don't typically target humans for food, preferring prey such as fish, turtles, raccoons and ducks, which they will attack, hold and spin underwater, in what's known as a "death roll," to disorient their prey until it drowns.
But alligators will attack people when they feel threatened or if they have been fed by humans, because they learn to associate humans with food, Guillette said.
Tom Mullen, who is licensed by the state to capture alligators in Pinellas County, said once a gator has been fed by a human, it may start to become more aggressive.
"The next person who comes down with a dog on a leash, they think, "Wow, they've brought me a live one today,"' said Mullen, whose company has fished alligators out of sewer drains, koi fish ponds and golf course ponds.
"A lot of times people don't have respect for an alligator," Mullen said. "It is an animal that has the potential to kill."
Bryan Jeffrey Griffin of Fruitland Park was the 13th person in the state to be killed by an alligator since 1948, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission has documented more than 300 alligator attacks against people in that period. The last death was on Sept. 11, 2001.
By contrast, sharks have been responsible for 13 unprovoked deaths since 1882, according to the International Shark Attack File administered by the American Elasmobranch Society and the Florida Museum of Natural History.
One reason alligator attacks have become more common is that Florida's growing human population is encroaching more on what used to be alligators' home turf. Plus, those who move to the area from alligator-free territory may not know how to avoid provoking alligators.
Last year, the state recorded 14,738 complaints about alligators.
Still, experts say, taking simple precautions will go a long way toward protecting against attacks. Experts say people should avoid swimming and water-skiing at dawn, dusk and at night, when alligators are more active. Children and pets should not be allowed near shores unsupervised.
Above all, don't feed the alligators. It's against state law. Steve Melton, rental manager at Canoe Escape in Thonotosassa, said there are days when canoeists can see 40 to 50 alligators in a single four-hour trip down the Hillsborough River. He reminds visitors they are not to feed the beasts, though some come prepared, hoping to toss goodies.
For the most part, if left alone, alligators will simply sink to the bottom of the river if they see humans approaching, Melton said. "They can hold their breath for a while," he said.
"That's generally what I tell my customers, and it seems to make them feel better."
- Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this story.
Safety around alligators
- DON'T FEED ALLIGATORS. It's against state law, and alligators who have been fed by humans lose their natural fear of people. Also, don't feed other wildlife near water or leave fish scraps near the water.
- DON'T LET CHILDREN OR PETS RUN OR SWIM NEAR SHORES WHERE ALLIGATORS ARE KNOWN TO LIVE.
- DON'T SWIM OR WATER SKI AT NIGHT OR AT DUSK in areas where alligators are known to live. (It's illegal to water ski at night in Florida anyway.)
- DON'T SWIM IN AREAS WITH PLANTS GROWING OUT OF THE WATER. Alligators especially like that kind of habitat.
- If you see an alligator, LEAVE IT ALONE unless it is actively threatening a human, a pet, or livestock. If that happens, call the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-3922 to file a nuisance complaint.
And if you see someone try to feed, harass, molest or attempt to move or kill an alligator, call the same number to report it. Callers may remain anonymous and may receive a reward.
- Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The dangerous reptiles are a fact of Florida life. Coexisting peacefully with them depends on several important rules.
By ADRIENNE LU
© St. Petersburg Times
published June 20, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST. PETERSBURG - One day last summer, Christopher Dixon took his 10-year-old son for an unforgettable fishing trip at Lake Maggiore.
The boy was standing near the shore when all of a sudden, Dixon said, an alligator "came out of the water charging at my son." Dixon threw a brick and whatever else he could find at the alligator, which retreated before it could do any harm.
"He told me he'll never go freshwater fishing again," Dixon, 33, said Thursday, fishing with a buddy at Lake Maggiore.
It's a fact of Florida living. If you're near freshwater, be it a retention pond, stream, lake or even backyard pool, a leathery alligator could be lurking.
"I don't care what kind of body of water you have in the state of Florida, you have the potential for alligators," said Louis J. Guillette Jr., a professor of zoology at the University of Florida.
A 12-year-old boy was killed by an alligator in Lake County on Wednesday knew there were alligators in the river where he and his friends had been swimming. But experts say people should be cautious anywhere there's water.
With the mating season wrapping up, male alligators are still in their aggressive stage, guarding territory from other males and wandering as far as they need to in search of females. The summer rain showers don't help matters, adding to the number of streams and ponds the reptiles can use to get from one place to the next, Guillette said.
Alligators don't typically target humans for food, preferring prey such as fish, turtles, raccoons and ducks, which they will attack, hold and spin underwater, in what's known as a "death roll," to disorient their prey until it drowns.
But alligators will attack people when they feel threatened or if they have been fed by humans, because they learn to associate humans with food, Guillette said.
Tom Mullen, who is licensed by the state to capture alligators in Pinellas County, said once a gator has been fed by a human, it may start to become more aggressive.
"The next person who comes down with a dog on a leash, they think, "Wow, they've brought me a live one today,"' said Mullen, whose company has fished alligators out of sewer drains, koi fish ponds and golf course ponds.
"A lot of times people don't have respect for an alligator," Mullen said. "It is an animal that has the potential to kill."
Bryan Jeffrey Griffin of Fruitland Park was the 13th person in the state to be killed by an alligator since 1948, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission has documented more than 300 alligator attacks against people in that period. The last death was on Sept. 11, 2001.
By contrast, sharks have been responsible for 13 unprovoked deaths since 1882, according to the International Shark Attack File administered by the American Elasmobranch Society and the Florida Museum of Natural History.
One reason alligator attacks have become more common is that Florida's growing human population is encroaching more on what used to be alligators' home turf. Plus, those who move to the area from alligator-free territory may not know how to avoid provoking alligators.
Last year, the state recorded 14,738 complaints about alligators.
Still, experts say, taking simple precautions will go a long way toward protecting against attacks. Experts say people should avoid swimming and water-skiing at dawn, dusk and at night, when alligators are more active. Children and pets should not be allowed near shores unsupervised.
Above all, don't feed the alligators. It's against state law. Steve Melton, rental manager at Canoe Escape in Thonotosassa, said there are days when canoeists can see 40 to 50 alligators in a single four-hour trip down the Hillsborough River. He reminds visitors they are not to feed the beasts, though some come prepared, hoping to toss goodies.
For the most part, if left alone, alligators will simply sink to the bottom of the river if they see humans approaching, Melton said. "They can hold their breath for a while," he said.
"That's generally what I tell my customers, and it seems to make them feel better."
- Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this story.
Safety around alligators
- DON'T FEED ALLIGATORS. It's against state law, and alligators who have been fed by humans lose their natural fear of people. Also, don't feed other wildlife near water or leave fish scraps near the water.
- DON'T LET CHILDREN OR PETS RUN OR SWIM NEAR SHORES WHERE ALLIGATORS ARE KNOWN TO LIVE.
- DON'T SWIM OR WATER SKI AT NIGHT OR AT DUSK in areas where alligators are known to live. (It's illegal to water ski at night in Florida anyway.)
- DON'T SWIM IN AREAS WITH PLANTS GROWING OUT OF THE WATER. Alligators especially like that kind of habitat.
- If you see an alligator, LEAVE IT ALONE unless it is actively threatening a human, a pet, or livestock. If that happens, call the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-3922 to file a nuisance complaint.
And if you see someone try to feed, harass, molest or attempt to move or kill an alligator, call the same number to report it. Callers may remain anonymous and may receive a reward.
- Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.