Tips to safely “coexist” with our state reptile

File photo: Alligators at Silver Springs State Park, July 2018

On February 22, Florida wildlife officials announced they killed a male alligator measuring 11 feet, 10 inches long, after it swam within inches of a paddleboarder at Silver Springs State Park last fall. They suspect the alligator had been illegally fed and probably started associating people with food.

Although the American alligator can be found in freshwater lakes, ponds, swamps and slow-moving rivers in all 67 counties in Florida, serious injuries are rare.

As things start to warm up throughout Florida, alligators become more active and visible, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is issuing tips for residents to safely “coexist” with the animals:

Keep a safe distance if you see an alligator and never feed one. When fed, alligators can lose their natural wariness and instead learn to associate people with the availability of food.

Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours. Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn. 

Keep pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge and never let them swim in fresh or brackish water. Pets often resemble alligators’ natural prey.

Call the FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286) if you believe an alligator poses a threat to people, pets or property and the FWC will dispatch a contracted nuisance alligator trapper to resolve the situation. The FWC places the highest priority on public safety and administers a Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) to proactively address alligator threats in developed areas, while conserving alligators in areas where they naturally occur. 

Florida has a healthy and stable alligator population, which is estimated at 1.3 million alligators of every size. Find more resources about living with alligators at MyFWC.com/Alligator.