“Gator on the right.” When you're out kayaking or canoeing nothing can wake you from a lazy river trip like those four little words. Heart pounding, eyes wide open, sit up straight - ok, where is he?
This summer it will be 12 years since landing on the sunny shores of Pascua de Florida (via Colorado), but I still remember the fear of those first kayak trips and coming upon a 'gator. Now days I'm not quite so jumpy but I still give them plenty of room and respect. Yes, even the little ones. You never know when mama is hiding in the weeds or just around the corner.
Do you have a fear of alligators? Yes, no? Ok, maybe not a fear but a healthy respect for our largest cold-blooded reptile that has been around since the time of dinosaurs? Based on the number of emails that comes in to ClubKayak.com, I'm thinking I may not be alone on this one.
To help alleviate the fears, here are some safety tips from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
- Leave alligators alone. State law prohibits killing, harassing, molesting or attempting to move alligators. This first one is a biggie. Just like with snakebites, lots of people learn the hard way that you don't mess with wild animals.
- Closely supervise children when playing in and around water. Never let small children play by themselves near water. A lot of other things can (and will) go wrong if you leave small kids alone in the water - think drowning for one.
- Don't swim in areas that may contain large alligators. For me, I don't swim anywhere I *know* there is an alligator over 3 feet.
- Swim only during daylight hours.Alligators feet at dusk, dawn and night.
- Never feed alligators. It's dangerous and illegal. Feeding 'gators is a bad idea. If you just can't resist the urge, apply at your local zoo and have fun.
- Don't allow pets (dogs!) to swim, exercise or drink in waters that are known to contain alligators.
- Never remove an alligator from its habitator accept one as a pet.
- Enjoy viewing and photography from a distance.
Here is a tidbit that I heard that might help you decide how close to get to an alligator. Someone once told me that a 7-foot alligator can kill an adult, a 9-footer can eat them and all alligators no matter how small will leave you with a nasty bite that you'll remember for the rest of your days.
For me, distance depends on the size of the 'gator. My personal rule goes like this - stay 4 feet away for every one-foot of length of the gator, with a minimum of 10 feet. So a 5-foot alligators get 20 feet of room. A 10-footer gets 40 feet. You make up whatever you feel comfortable with.
So there you have it, some facts from FWC and commentary from me. I hope this page helps you understand alligators better and allows you to enjoy viewing them - from a distance!
