Alligators captured in Florida face a dire fate when they are hauled away.
A large alligator was captured by trappers Saturday morning at a home on Conservation Trail in the Village of Pine Hills.
This is a time of greater activity among alligators as it is mating season.
Residents can report problem alligators through the Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286). Generally, an alligator may be deemed a nuisance if it is at least four feet in length and the caller believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property.
The state pays a nominal fee to the trapper who then is allowed to harvest the animal and sell the hide and meat. Many trappers have standing relationships with restaurants eager to buy the meat.
Nuisance alligators are not “relocated,” according to Greg Workman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“If we ‘relocate’ them, we’re just moving a problem,” Workman said.
Trappers have been known to tell little white lies to onlookers and claim a captured alligator is simply being relocated. Trappers are frequently asked about an alligator’s fate when called to a job.
Florida has a healthy and stable alligator population which stands at about 1.3 million. Alligators live in all 67 counties, and they inhabit all wild areas of Florida that can support them. Slaughtering nuisance alligators does not have a significant impact on the state’s alligator population, according to FWC.
Relocated alligators often try to return to their capture site. They can create problems for people or other alligators along the way. If an alligator successfully returns, capturing it again would be necessary and likely more difficult the second time.
To avoid creating a problem at the release site, nuisance alligators would need to be relocated to remote areas where they would not encounter people. These remote areas already have healthy alligator populations, and the ones that already live there have established social structures. The introduction of a new alligator to these areas would likely cause fighting, possibly resulting in the death of a resident alligator or the introduced alligator.
Alligators less than 4 feet in length are not large enough to be dangerous unless handled. They eat fish, frogs and other small animals. Typically, they are not large enough to be a threat even to small pets. The mere presence of a small alligator is not cause for concern.