Alligator in Osprey Lakes

photos courtesy of ThomasDigitalPics.com

Are there Really Alligators

in Osprey Lakes?

March 27, 2004

A neighbor of ours just completed a new pier off their back yard and several of the neighbors were over to enjoy it this afternoon.

We were told that a trapper had been by earlier in the week and an alligator had been snared nearby.

We went to check it out and there he was. If it was a she, we'll never know.

Someone said that the bait is hooked and the hook is completely swallowed by the poor little nine-foot flesh-eating swamp thing.

We’re hoping that the trapper gets there before too long. This fellow did not appear too happy.

Meanwhile, the new pier is off limits to the gators.

The trappers arrived late in the day to retrieve their catch.

These photos were taken at a safe distance from our back yard. The pier in the background belongs to Dickson and Wednesday Hugus.

The trappers wrestled with the rope to string in the alligator for quite a few minutes. Finally they got the critter on land.

It became darker and it was difficult to take well lit photos from the distance I was standing. Here’s one of the alligator not really smiling.

One of the trappers got on top of the alligator to tape his mouth shut and tape the alligator’s forearms together.

Once taped, the two worked together to bring the gator on higher ground.

The trapper used a gun to shoot the gator in the head. Then they dragged the gator to their truck.

Here’s a shot from the rear of our yard toward the back of our home. Lynn is standing safely away near the window in the upper left portion of the photo.

9 feet 4 inches ladies and gentlemen.

No, the trapper is not pointing to where he wants the alligator to go. Hopefully, the gator is pretty much dead here.

It was interesting experience to see this take place. I am told that the meat of the alligator will be used for food and the hide used for something to wear. But the alligator did not die quickly. For many hours it lived having swallowed a hook. Once the trappers pulled it near shore, a bullet was shot into it’s skull with a bang stick, but the alligator still clung to life as long as it could. Once safely bound, a final bullet was shot with a handgun and the trapper used a knife to be sure that life had ended.

I am no expert but the trappers seemed to me to be professional. They clearly considered their own safety first and they cautioned bystanders when they felt we might be too close or might see something we don’t want to. But with priorities on safety as they should be, the trappers made multiple efforts to shoot the alligator a second time when they found that the first one didn’t complete the job. It seemed that the ammo they were using may have gotten wet, so it took a bit more time to safely bind the mouth and legs to get close enough to shoot it with a handgun. There’s no doubt that this creature felt pain and troubling that life ended in that way.

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