Fla. congressman calls for crackdown on rogue alligators
TAMPA, Fla. - Spurred by an unprecedented trio of fatal alligator attacks, a Florida congressman is calling for money to hire more trappers and clearer guidelines on when it is legal for residents to use lethal force against rogue reptiles. U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., attached a $500,000 “alligator abatement” amendment to a $26.9 billion Interior Department spending bill Thursday night, but withdrew it after Congressional leaders agreed to revisit the issue in the near future.
“Rogue reptiles”?? Uh, you do realize, of course, that the reason alligators are “fighting back”, if you choose to see it that way, is that humans are encroaching upon alligator habitat? It’s not like alligators are some sort of hyper-aggressive species with a taste for human flesh and a thirst for vengeance (sounds like a recipe for an Oliver Stone film, doesn’t it??). Perhaps if politicians and developers took the time to understand what expanding into alligator habitat involved and the risks it presents, there might be less conflict and thus less gator “attacks” on humans.
Humans don’t have an unalienable right to expand and build as they see fit. Believe it or not, there are consequences for not considering the consequences of expanding into alligator habitat. Gators aren’t equipped to reason with humans as we move into more and more of their native habitat. As their habitat decreases (and with it their available food sources), they will increasingly wander into human habitat looking for food. That gators and humans generally don’t mix well is hardly a surprise to anyone who has spent any time at all in Florida.
Perhaps instead of trying to deal with “rogue alligators” and making the world safe for developers, Congressman Putnam should devote some time, effort, and money to determining how to minimize the impact on alligator habitat. Maybe if politicians and developers tried to find a way to meet their needs while accommodating one of Florida’s most famous and enduring symbols, fewer Floridians would find their limbs being used as appetizers.
