By Win Stevens
We share Crooked Lake with a healthy alligator population. Though we should always respect our gators, we don’t need to fear them. Here’s some good news: since 1948 the Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) has kept records of reported alligator bite incidents, both fatal and non-fatal. For the past 76 years, there has never been a reported incident from Crooked Lake – NEVER.
Florida has more than 7500 lakes, ponds and reservoirs; about 12,000 miles of rivers, streams and canals; and over 10 million acres of wetlands. This habitat is home to an estimated 1.3 million alligators. Florida has a current human population of almost 23 million, and yet FWC has only seen an average of 8 alligator bite incidents per year over the past ten years for the entire state. One of the ways the FWC
manages the state alligator population is through an annual, controlled wild alligator hunting season, which is usually between August and November. In 2023, 25 alligators were harvested from Crooked Lake with around 8000 harvested statewide and several thousand more taken from private lands.
Even though the likelihood of an alligator attack is rare, we still need to be cautious. Every now and then one might decide that it wants to hang out around your beach, under your dock, or continuously cruise your area. If that happens and you feel that it has become a nuisance, you do have recourse. FWC also maintains the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) just for this reason. When you call the hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286), FWC will send a contracted alligator trapper to help remove the unwanted, unwelcome gator. They require property owner access for the trapper to operate legally. FWC policy states that “generally an alligator is deemed a nuisance if it is at least four (4) feet long and the caller believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property.” These alligators are not relocated but harvested for meat and hide. From 2020-2023, ten alligators were removed from Crooked Lake under this program. Just over 9000 were taken statewide last year.
Since we share our lake with alligators, we should all follow some simple safety tips. Don’t swim at night since allligators are most active from dusk to dawn. Closely supervise children when swimming or playing near the water. Never, ever feed alligators. And don’t throw fish scraps in the lake because, by doing this, you are unintentionally feeding them. Remember that alligators are reptiles and ectotherms, meaning that they rely on external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature. They are most active in warm weather (80-90°F) but stop feeding when temps drop below 70°F. They become dormant when the temperature drops below 55°F, spending most of their time in burrows or
dens but will occasionally emerge to bask in the sun.
Enjoy our lake, be aware of your surroundings, and if you have any issues with a nuisance alligator, contact FWC through the hotline. You should know that it is a Class III felony to kill or injure an alligator in Florida without the proper license or authorization, so leave the alligator
removal to the professionals. For more information visit myfwc.com.