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Osprey Lakes Gator Invaders
May 18, 2006
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An unusually high number of alligators have been seen in Osprey
Lake. The lack of seasonal rainfall has motivated them
to emerge from nearby marshes seeking food and water. Three
alligators have been trapped in almost as many days from Osprey
Lake and the largest one reported by one or more residents has not
yet been snared.
On the morning
of Thursday May, 18, one alligator was seen near the North shore
of the lake and it appears it has fallen victim to the trapper's
latest lure. Once an alligator is hooked, I personally
believe it is important to get their pain ended as soon as
possible. Although I did not call to have the trap set, I do
think the trapper needs to know immediately when an alligator is
hooked. I called Ron and he came to retrieve his catch
straight away. |
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I was surprised that Ron
arrived by himself. In the past, I have seen him and his
colleague work together in ways that I thought would be quite
impossible to do solo.
With the
noose pole on the ready, he began to pull the gator to shore.
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Placing the noose around the neck of the alligator was a bit tricky
amidst shoreline debris. Ron knows that the noose must be
placed around the back of the jaws otherwise it would be very easy
for the alligator to roll out of the loop of the rope.
Once the
alligator was noosed, Ron pulled it to a wider portion of the
landscape to tape it up. |
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Ron has mastered the ability to hold the jaws shut while pulling
electrical tape with his teeth. I have problems finding an end
of electrical tape using both hands. I cannot imagine
performing that task while clasping the jaws of an alligator with
one hand. |
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This alligator has had its left front leg bitten off presumably by
another alligator. The wound looks as if the bite was recent,
but still more than a couple days old. It is amazing how alligators
can experience so much trauma and still endure. Ron said that
he often finds alligators with legs or tails that have been
significantly injured or completely amputated. He told of a
story where one alligator had had a sizable piece of its hide chewed
off its back. The missing portion of the leg on this gator
makes it more difficult for Ron to bind its front legs together. |
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With the
mouth taped shut, the eyes taped over and the front leg bound, it is
now safe to turn around and bind the back legs.
Below,
the alligator has been completely bound. The damage to its
front left paw is quite visible. For the record the trapper
did nothing to cause this alligator to have its leg bitten off.
Alligators can be somewhat indiscriminating when deciding to bite on
something to eat. |
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Jeff Williams, an Osprey Lakes resident, inspects the latest catch.
A much larger alligator has been spotted and this is not the one.
The alligator Jeff is looking at looks to be just over five feet
long. |
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Ron leads the alligator to his truck. A ten-foot alligator is
already in the bed of the truck. Ron verified that they try
not to kill the alligators immediately if they can help it.
Once deceased, he has only two hours to get the carcass to the
processor or the meat will spoil.
Ron is
responsible for an area covering a wide area including all of
Seminole County and significant portions of adjacent counties. |
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Our car is parked in our driveway in the background while Ron
prepares to pick up the alligator and load it into the bed of his
truck.
In the
image below, the tail of another alligator sticks out above a wooden
ramp used to winch the larger ones aboard. |
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Looking for that elusive "big one" Ron sets yet one more trap. |
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While setting the new trap, Ron is advised that the larger alligator
in his truck has broken the tape around his jaws. Ron is
compelled to noose the reptile, pull it off the truck and re-tape
the jaws closed. |
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Another neighbor stands and watches the process with respectful awe. |
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I'll
post additional photos and story if we see more activity over the
next few days. In the meantime,
Gatorland is
a much underrated Orlando area attraction. It's actually a
very nice place to spend an afternoon and they have a lot more to
enjoy than just a pool of large hungry gators. The image at
right was taken at that location. |
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