ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Gatorland is speaking out looking to get results for a state apex predator after Central Florida started to see recent incidents of illegal alligator possessions.
“People have a fascination with alligators, and whether you are visiting here in Florida, you come here, and it’s a state predator, and people want to see them,” said Brandon Fisher with Gatorland, who said that even though a person wants to understand them, it’s no excuse.
According to data compiled from prosecutors across the state by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement over the last two years, six cases have been reported, all of which have been in Central Florida.
One recent incident happened earlier this month after an alligator in a tank was found in an Orange County home by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
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The homeowner told officers at the time that he was going to take it Gatorland, but FWC said the tank holding the gator didn’t even meet cage requirements regardless.
“It’s not a good thing for an alligator to be in a tank of that size, period... If they get over 4 feet long, which eventually they are going to, they are going to keep growing, you have to have a minimum of 2 and half acres just to have it,” Fisher said.
State law says it is a felony to kill, capture, or possess a gator.
Gatorland says they are actively working with FWC to educate people to stop any form of illegal possession.
“There are laws set in place to protect people from alligators and for people from doing dumb things with alligators... Even a 4-foot alligator can do enough damage to take a finger or two off,” Fisher said.
We reached out to Florida Fish and Wildlife to see whether they have seen an increase in gators being captured, but at this time have not heard back.
Fisher left this message for anyone who thinks a gator would be a great pet:
“If you see a gator in your backyard, you want to leave it alone. You don’t want to mess with it, you don’t want to feed it, you don’t want to catch it, you don’t want to let it in your house because it’s not going to get along with your dog in the house, OK?” Fisher said.
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