BOY THIS MAKES ME MAD !!!!!!!!!

[pcfriedrich]

This was well written.
So let me ask you, one land living hillbilly redneck to another...
If you lived in an area with gators, you LIVE THERE you are not just some dumb tourist, and you go swimming with 8 or more gators when you know better, and you get an arm gnawed off...is that the lizards fault?
Before you answer, remember that you are an intelligent and experienced human. And the lizard is just a lizard.
That's what we are discussing. Personal responsibility.
If you don't have any, sooner or later, you lose.
As nature intended.

actually, if you live near gators, you know they are afraid of and avoid (especially adult) humans. there are always people waterskiing at my local lake, and (as far as I know) nobody has ever been attacked by a gator. I had an upclose and personal experience with a gator when I was catfishing one night. I went to wash my hands off in the water and scared a 4" gator away (from a distance of only 2"). we both damn near had a heart attack.

gators that have lost their fear of humans are dangerous and should be (and are) removed; usually to another, less public waterway or private gator farm. But they are sometimes killed. I'm not shedding any crocodile tears. the gator population has gone from endangered, 20 years ago, to a a ****load. every time I cross the bridge over the withlacoochie river I see about 20 of them, where you used to be lucky to see any.

 

[Spankbelly]

actually, if you live near gators, you know they are afraid of and avoid (especially adult) humans. there are always people waterskiing at my local lake, and (as far as I know) nobody has ever been attacked by a gator. I had an upclose and personal experience with a gator when I was catfishing one night. I went to wash my hands off in the water and scared a 4" gator away (from a distance of only 2"). we both damn near had a heart attack.

gators that have lost their fear of humans are dangerous and should be (and are) removed; usually to another, less public waterway or private gator farm. But they are sometimes killed. I'm not shedding any crocodile tears. the gator population has gone from endangered, 20 years ago, to a a ****load. every time I cross the bridge over the withlacoochie river I see about 20 of them, where you used to be lucky to see any.

Hmm, thanks for the info. I of course know almost nothing about alligators.
I'm not shedding a tear either.
But if you want to talk about what animal the world would be better off with less of, I'd vote for human.
Those gators are not claiming new territory. They are reclaiming their old territory. You know, what they had before humans turned them all into boots.
So I don't think a healthy population that has finally made it off the endangered list should be called a pest species by anyone.(not that you did in this post)
Gators have lost their fear, not because they are in human territory. But because humans are in gator territory.
It is more than obvious that humans are the pest.
No, I am not saying that one lizard is always more important than one human.
I am saying that our species, and the planet as a whole, might be better off if we had a few less people hanging around.
Up here, we sometimes have similar problems with bears and such.
But should we kill a bear, just because a human felt like taking a walk in bear country?
Or should the risk of getting eaten be part of the challenge?
Those power walkers would sure burn allot of calories, with a grizzly on their heals.
If I get eaten by anything, you can be sure I was doing something I shouldn't. And most likely, I had it coming.