SANIBEL, Fla. (WINK) \u2014 After a string of recent alligator attacks across Florida, including a North Fort Myers man who survived being dragged into a canal while fishing, Sanibel officials and wildlife experts are reminding people that awareness is one of the best ways to avoid a dangerous encounter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis time of year is particularly important for alligator awareness,\u201d the City of Sanibel said in recent safety messaging. \u201cResidents and visitors may notice increased alligator movement near ponds, canals, golf courses, roadways and other bodies of water.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the city, spring and early summer mark the peak of alligator mating season. As temperatures rise, alligators become more active while searching for mates, establishing territory and protecting nests.<\/p>\n
Chris Lechowicz, director of wildlife and habitat management for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, said those seasonal changes naturally lead to more sightings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are in the breeding season right now,\u201d Lechowicz said. \u201cFemale alligators protect their nests, and after the hatchlings hatch, they protect their young as well. Alligators can also become very territorial at this time of year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lechowicz said that while recent attacks have drawn attention, they remain uncommon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey estimate that there\u2019s between 1.3 and 2 million alligators in the state, so they\u2019re in most water bodies,\u201d Lechowicz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the time, a normal wild alligator, if it sees a human being, especially an adult human being, they normally swim away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead of avoiding Florida\u2019s waterways altogether, Lechowicz said people should learn how to safely share the environment with alligators.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you approach a body of water in Florida, you always have to be aware,\u201d Lechowicz said. \u201cWe are in their environment, and we share the space with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
City officials recommend assuming any freshwater pond, canal or lake could contain an alligator. They urge residents and visitors to keep children and pets away from the water\u2019s edge, avoid swimming in freshwater, especially around dawn and dusk, and never feed alligators.<\/p>\n
Officials say feeding alligators is illegal and dangerous because it teaches the animals to associate people with food, causing them to lose their natural fear of humans.<\/p>\n
Longtime Sanibel residents say those reminders are important, especially with so many visitors coming to Southwest Florida each year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Florida, if there\u2019s water, there\u2019s likely a gator in it,\u201d Sanibel resident Vera Neinast said. \u201cYou just have to be very careful. You learn to have a healthy respect for gators.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patricia Palza, another Sanibel resident, said seeing an alligator is simply part of living in Florida, but people should remember they are wild animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you see an alligator in its natural habitat, you can look at it, but keep walking,\u201d Palza said. \u201cDon\u2019t linger around the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanibel\u2019s emphasis on alligator safety has developed over many years. In 2004, landscaper Janie Melsek was attacked while working near a pond on the island.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The incident remains one of the community\u2019s most well-known wildlife encounters. More than a decade later, Sanibel police also responded to an aggressive alligator in a residential neighborhood, reinforcing the city\u2019s focus on educating the public about safely living alongside wildlife.<\/p>\n
Sanibel Police say they evaluate every alligator complaint individually. Aggressive nuisance alligators may be referred to state-authorized trappers for removal, while smaller, non-aggressive alligators may be relocated when appropriate.<\/p>\n
Lechowicz said the goal isn\u2019t to make people afraid of alligators, but to understand how they behave and take simple precautions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAttacks are very, very rare,\u201d Lechowicz said. \u201cYou can lower those odds by not swimming at dusk and dawn and by avoiding areas where you know alligators are during breeding and nesting season.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SANIBEL, Fla. (WINK) \u2014 After a string of recent alligator attacks across Florida, including a North Fort Myers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":743149,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[27563,23499,3,79,201],"class_list":["post-743148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-collaborator_gen_stories","tag-lee","tag-news","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=743148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/743149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=743148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=743148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=743148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}