{"id":250834,"date":"2026-04-29T09:21:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T09:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/250834\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T09:21:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T09:21:10","slug":"alligator-mating-season-kicks-off-in-florida-it-could-prove-deadly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/250834\/","title":{"rendered":"Alligator mating season kicks off in Florida. It could prove deadly"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Alligator mating season<\/a> is now underway in Florida, posing a threat to residents in the state.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, the Pine Meadows Conservation Area issued a warning about the mating season after one such gator attacked a cow<\/a>, resulting in the bovine being euthanized.<\/p>\n

According to local officials, \u201ccourtship\u201d between alligators begins in early April, and the actual mating typically happens in May or June.<\/p>\n

During this time, female alligators build nests and can lay dozens of eggs by late June or early July.<\/p>\n

[RELATED: New details after woman mauled to death by alligator at Lake Kissimmee]<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring this time, alligators are more active, making it especially important for residents and visitors to remain alert near water,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n

While alligator attacks<\/a> aren\u2019t common, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has recorded over 450 of them<\/a> stemming back to 1948, with around 30 being fatal.<\/p>\n

Of the deadly attacks, over half of them occurred during breeding or nesting season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have many bodies of water in the city, including ponds, lakes and rivers, making ideal habitats for the reptiles,\u201d Oviedo officials added.<\/p>\n

[RELATED: Lake County conservation area closed off after alligator mauls cow]<\/p>\n

Several children \u2014 including a 3-year-old at Lake Ashby and a 10-year-old at the Loxahatchee River \u2014 have been killed by alligators after getting too close to the water.<\/p>\n

Just a few years ago, an 85-year-old woman was killed by an alligator<\/a> after it attacked her dog while she was out for a walk.<\/p>\n

To reduce the risk of alligator attacks<\/a>, local officials have provided the following tips:<\/p>\n

Never feed alligators \u2014 it\u2019s dangerous and illegal<\/p>\n

Keep pets on a leash and never walk them at the edge of a body of water<\/p>\n

Never swim outside of posted swimming areas and swim only during daylight hours<\/p>\n

Closely supervise children when they are playing in and around water<\/p>\n

Pay attention to your surroundings and be aware of possible presence<\/p>\n

If you see a baby alligator, know the mother is close by watching. Never handle the babies \u2014 they are not pets<\/p>\n

If you have concerns about an alligator in your neighborhood, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Nuisance Alligator Hotline at (866) 392-4286.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Alligator mating season is now underway in Florida, posing a threat to residents in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":250835,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[13925,1684,28,30,29,2174,1335,139,1014],"class_list":["post-250834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-alligators","tag-animals","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-lake-county","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-seminole-county"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}