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Mating season brings out aggressive alligators across Florida
交配季到了 佛州鱷魚將更有侵略性

https://reurl.cc/nlb7D


TAMPA, Fla. - With April comes the start of alligator mating season, meaning
more gators are on the prowl in some unlikely places in Florida and the rest
of the coastal South.

Warmer weather also revs up the prehistoric predators’ metabolism, making
them more active and aggressive as they hunt for prey and a mate.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says over 7,000
nuisance alligators had to be killed or relocated last year, compared to
6,700 in 2017. Although the chances are slim, only 1 in 3.2 million to be
exact, six people on average are attacked by the animals every year.

Areas with the highest removal numbers are in and around central Florida.
Tampa topped the list in 2017 with 181 nuisance gators but was topped last
year by Sarasota, which tallied 205.

Generally, an alligator may be deemed a nuisance if it is at least four feet
in length and residents believe it poses a threat to people, pets or
property; the FWC says their removal does not have a significant impact on
the state's alligator population.

Nuisance gators larger than four feet are usually sold to alligator farms or
harvested if a trapper doesn’t have a special permit to take them alive and
gators smaller than four feet are released back into the wild.

Once an endangered species, they're now federally protected, meaning only
FWC-contracted trappers can retrieve them after residents report sightings
using the Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).

Once reported, the state issues a permit for a trapper to remove a suspicious
gator.

State alligator trapper Robb Upthegrove has been handling live alligators for
over eight years and receives removal calls around the clock.

“This one here came from a residence in Baum, the larger gator came from a
Walmart in Wimauma, the smaller gator came from a lake in Auburndale,” he
said as he took inventory of his catches from the past 24 hours.

An estimated 1.3 million alligators now roam the waterways in every one of
the Sunshine State’s 67 counties.

“Pretty much any body of water that's going to be in Florida, you might come
across an alligator at some point,” said Karina Paner, manager of Croc
Encounters Reptile Park & Wildlife Center, which houses dozens of alligators
reported as a nuisance and rescued by the center. “All the waterways are
connected…a lot of the lakes and ponds in neighborhoods are connected
through piping, so they travel through that.”

But Paner reminded residents to keep that in perspective.

“They're not really bothering us as much as we're kind of taking over their
space,” she added. “They're not coming out to attack us…they're doing what
they've always done even before we were here…”

Paner said while many Floridians have learned to coexist, the threat is
always there—especially if people feed them.

“…You are teaching the alligator to lose its natural fear of people and
then they start approaching people for food,” she said. “That’s when
accidents happen.”

In addition to being illegal, Upthegrove says feeding alligators also hurts
trappers’ chances of catching them.


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佛州有一個保護區叫做-「佛州大沼澤」

是聯合國等級的保護區也是美國最大的濕地

因此裡面的生物是受到最高等級的保護

和岡山吱吱一樣 只有政府允許才能去殺/抓

導致佛州現在出現一個大問題

外來種「緬甸蟒」和「短吻鱷」氾濫

因此佛州常常出現在家裡發現巨大蟒蛇

或是高爾夫球場發現鱷魚

過去幾年已經造成一些生命或農地損失

現在進入鱷魚交配季

又有人開始擔憂鱷魚會不會到城市中覓食


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