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Dangerous Alligators? #6348772 06/29/11 07:28 PM
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hirsch Offline OP
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Alligators have been a topic of discussion lately so having time I did a bit of research today to see how dangerous they are.

I will get out the one item I did not find a link on out of the way now. I forget which Outdoor Life, Field and Stream. NRA Hunter or American Hunter among others but I read an article months ago on managing gators. The author compared Florida and Louisiana. His claim was that Florida protects its gators while Louisiana aggressively seeks to remove animals over 8'. His claim was this size is the most likely to attack man and attributed management for the lack of a attack on humans in Louisiana. Everything else I present here will be information found on net searches this morning.

I read where the United States has had 44 fatal shark attacks since 1970 compared to 23 fatal alligator attacks. But I thought there is a lot more coastline without gators than there is with gators. Looking further I realized 2/3rds of all U.S. shark fatalities occurred in California and Hawaii, neither noted for their alligator attacks. There were a few also in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Oregon and elsewhere. To compare apples to apples I then checked shark attacks from the Carolinas to Texas to coincide with the ranges of alligators. Then I found only 13 fatal shark attacks compared to 23 fatal alligator attacks.

The decade of the 70s produced three alligator caused fatalities, the 80s produced four more followed by three more deaths in the 90s.The first decade of the new century set a record thirteen fatalities or more than the the previous 30 years. Twelve of those deaths were in Florida and one in Georgia. That would make them about twice as dangerous as sharks in the same range. The average size of the attacking alligators was 9'9" with the smallest being 5'7" and largest at 12'4".

My point is not to say we are all in imminent danger because I do not believe so. I do swim in the Gulf and rivers that I know to have small populations of gators. Instead my point is they are not the benign creatures some would have us believe, but simply another animal like sharks that do call for caution and common sense. I would not swim in waters where large specimen of either had recently been spotted or times that I know hunting activity increases such as sharks at dawn, dusk and night.

Also like the California cougar deaths start increasing when management is lacking. The difference is cougars killing humans are often young adults seeking new range having been crowded out. With alligators it would seem that the larger, mature animals are almost exclusively the perpetrators of such attacks and perhaps should be subject to management as well as overall numbers.

Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: hirsch] #6348800 06/29/11 07:33 PM
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Neumie Offline
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I think you need to be more worried about Dihydrogen Monoxide.

http://www.dhmo.org/


"Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water." -Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." - Heraclitus
Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: Neumie] #6348837 06/29/11 07:43 PM
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hirsch Offline OP
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Maybe, LOL. But that was not my point. Like I said I still use the water. Simply that like sharks or overpopulated cougars they can be dangerous and not the benign creatures some might contend. They are to be treated with caution and respect.

Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: Neumie] #6348909 06/29/11 08:06 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
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Fish ZoMbiE Offline
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Worry more about parasites
Last time we FISHED the Brazos we stepped out on the bank & picked up about
12 lil leaches on each foot. thought they were just right there but every time i walked in
the mud i picked em up


at Fairfeild we got into bloodworms
wading around casting for talapia.

more worried about cotton mouths then gators.




Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: Fish ZoMbiE] #6349081 06/29/11 08:54 PM
Joined: Jan 2010
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_86_ Offline
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Jet skiers and pleasure boaters are far more dangerous than anything posted above.

As far as leeches are concerned. They are pretty much harmless. I was laying in the water on a rock on the Devils years ago and when I stood up I was covered in leeches. Other than the initial shock factor I was fine.

Some leeches are able to carry bacteria and viruses from previous hosts. But the odds of this happening are slim. The best way to remove them is by hand, starting at the tapered end. However, most leeches don't even bite and arent capable of breaking the skin.

Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: _86_] #6349316 06/29/11 09:41 PM
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Jimbo Online Content
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It must be the heat, or maybe it's just me, but this kayak forum with all these off the wall topics lately (non kayak related) is starting to look like the "Off Topic" section.

Maybe "Off Topic" is getting too boring lately.


Just one more cast!

Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: Jimbo] #6349505 06/29/11 10:28 PM
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The Trout Scout Offline
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If you fish the back bays and marshes, wade or kayak - sooner or later, you will be fishing alongside a gator.

So it's not that far off topic.


Gators have never bothered me and I have one gator in Copano Bay that I have seen steady in one slough over the years and have been fishing in "his" fishing hole for the last 17 years.

We've learned to co-exist together while we stalk our prey.



coolio

Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: The Trout Scout] #6350717 06/30/11 04:39 AM
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gotreal formerly known as getreal Offline
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how many deaths in texas. thats where i lived all my life. i float tube with 10 foot gators in east texas. they are scared of me dont see them that much but they are around. buddy got this one on film on ray hubbard a huge one. i respect them they respect me. aint killing one unless they try to attack me which has never happened to me or my pappy.
gators just a big lizard is all. dont f with them you will be fine.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4640114194226346124#



Last edited by gotreal formerly known as getreal; 06/30/11 04:42 AM.

yup


if ye aint been skunked, ye aint been fishing! <<al einstene
IAMCOUNTRY
texas made lures. getcha some

Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: gotreal formerly known as getreal] #6350720 06/30/11 04:42 AM
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The Trout Scout Offline
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Good stuff 'gotreal'

thanks

Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: The Trout Scout] #6351205 06/30/11 12:59 PM
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4yu5kz Offline
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Leeches;
As a kid growing up in Toledo,Ohio I fished in a ond and we would wade in the catails,get our legs coverewd with the critter then take them off put on hook and proceed to catch bream. didn't need a bait bucket

Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: Jimbo] #6351374 06/30/11 01:42 PM
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Daveg99 Offline
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Originally Posted By: Jimbo
It must be the heat, or maybe it's just me, but this kayak forum with all these off the wall topics lately (non kayak related) is starting to look like the "Off Topic" section.

Maybe "Off Topic" is getting too boring lately.


We sort of need an off topic section in the kayaking section. The kayaking section is like a forum all on its own.

Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: Daveg99] #6352096 06/30/11 04:56 PM
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N.Walker Offline
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The problem with the shark research and subsequent data on deaths due to shark attacks are as follows.The vast majority that get killed by shark attacks are never found.Thats according to alot of folks that investigate shark fatalities.They are considered "drown",and lost at sea.Sounds logical to me.Feel free to swim in the dirty waters along the Texas coast if you dare.Ive seen giant bull sharks there.

Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: hirsch] #6353356 06/30/11 09:36 PM
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karpbuster Offline
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Originally Posted By: hirsch
Alligators have been a topic of discussion lately so having time I did a bit of research today to see how dangerous they are.

I will get out the one item I did not find a link on out of the way now. I forget which Outdoor Life, Field and Stream. NRA Hunter or American Hunter among others but I read an article months ago on managing gators. The author compared Florida and Louisiana. His claim was that Florida protects its gators while Louisiana aggressively seeks to remove animals over 8'. His claim was this size is the most likely to attack man and attributed management for the lack of a attack on humans in Louisiana. Everything else I present here will be information found on net searches this morning.

I read where the United States has had 44 fatal shark attacks since 1970 compared to 23 fatal alligator attacks. But I thought there is a lot more coastline without gators than there is with gators. Looking further I realized 2/3rds of all U.S. shark fatalities occurred in California and Hawaii, neither noted for their alligator attacks. There were a few also in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Oregon and elsewhere. To compare apples to apples I then checked shark attacks from the Carolinas to Texas to coincide with the ranges of alligators. Then I found only 13 fatal shark attacks compared to 23 fatal alligator attacks.

The decade of the 70s produced three alligator caused fatalities, the 80s produced four more followed by three more deaths in the 90s.The first decade of the new century set a record thirteen fatalities or more than the the previous 30 years. Twelve of those deaths were in Florida and one in Georgia. That would make them about twice as dangerous as sharks in the same range. The average size of the attacking alligators was 9'9" with the smallest being 5'7" and largest at 12'4".

My point is not to say we are all in imminent danger because I do not believe so. I do swim in the Gulf and rivers that I know to have small populations of gators. Instead my point is they are not the benign creatures some would have us believe, but simply another animal like sharks that do call for caution and common sense. I would not swim in waters where large specimen of either had recently been spotted or times that I know hunting activity increases such as sharks at dawn, dusk and night.

Also like the California cougar deaths start increasing when management is lacking. The difference is cougars killing humans are often young adults seeking new range having been crowded out. With alligators it would seem that the larger, mature animals are almost exclusively the perpetrators of such attacks and perhaps should be subject to management as well as overall numbers.


Very good info, thanks for gathering that.


"Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness."

"All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." � C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis
Re: Dangerous Alligators? [Re: karpbuster] #6360621 07/03/11 12:22 PM
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xanadu Offline
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I'm afraid of sharks but never met a person that's been bit. Afraid of alligators but never met a person that's been bit.
Afraid of bears, but never met a person that's been attacked. Afraid of snakes, ditto, afraid of giant man eating fish, ditto. I think Hollywood, parents, and the network TV companies put all of this fear in us.
I have seen a few alligators in Arkansas 12 feet long and when I tried to get close for a picture, they ran. I was jogging one day and ran up on a moutain lion, we stopped and stared at each other and then he turned and went into the woods. I backpack in bear country and they run from you if you don't mess with them.
Just respect them as living creatures, and in some ways, find pleasure in seeing something that your friends and co-workers don't ever get a chance to see.
I will say that the most dangerous creature that I have ever met is the raccoon. They will steal your food and make you dance around in your underwear on a freezing night, with no shoes on, trying to get your stuff back and they just shoot up a tree and laugh at you. Evil creatures.


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