Diver bit by gator at Silver Springs...

[Dive-aholic]

Unless there is a nest close by then the


gator male or female is very protective of the nest.And they were in a place where they were not supposed to be right? Take the gator to a gator farm !

And when i was growing up i used to swim in a canal in Seminole ALA with a 14 ' gator in the same canal never bothered me or anyone else

No. They were in a place where they regularly go to take water samples. Other people have been feeding the gator. I'm all for protecting animals. I have 7 rescues in my house. But I also believe there are situations in which it's just not practical. While it's not the gators fault that people have been feeding it, there's not really any other option here. This was handled by wildlife management.

 

[scubadog1969]

ok as long as they were the ones that took care of it

 

[irishsquid]

People hate being lower on the food chain.

Pretty Much!

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Think its a real shame that they killed the gator!:depressed::depressed:

I don't. That gator needed to die. Humans are still more important in my book. When they lose their fear of humans.....time to go

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

I don't. That gator needed to die. Humans are still more important in my book. When they lose their fear of humans.....time to go

Funny how it was humans that caused that gator to not be afraid of us in the first place. Too bad we can't punish the idiots that really caused this. I agree when they lose their fear of us we have a problem, and in most cases it is humans who cause it. We really need to be more responsible in those areas.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Funny how it was humans that caused that gator to not be afraid of us in the first place. Too bad we can't punish the idiots that really caused this. I agree when they lose their fear of us we have a problem, and in most cases it is humans who cause it. We really need to be more responsible in those areas.

Well humans screw up a lot. You'd think locals would know better. When I was living in the keys there were a couple of gators living on Big Pine. One died from eating a kid toy and the other was killed and BBQed by a couple of young guys. The locals thought of these two gators as pets or mascots. These gators were not afraid of humans in the least which made them pretty darn dangerous.

 

[Thalassamania]

Al, as a former resident of Cudjoe Key, I really must dispute your claim that, "The locals thought of these two gators as pets or mascots. These gators were not afraid of humans in the least which made them pretty darn dangerous."

The gators were in the Blue Hole, the only freshwater lake in the Keys and a part of the National Key Deer Refuge. Thus it is patrolled by US Fish and Wildlife Officers and staffed by volunteers. Feeding, injuring, molesting or removing wildlife, or natural items is prohibited as is disturbing, injuring or removing plants and shells. Just think, "National Park Rules".

Latest developments in the case:

Monday, May 18, 2009

Big Pine Key Alligator Finally Gets Justice

You should remember Tim Goll. He was convicted of killing the alligator at Big Pine Key’s Blue Hole in March 2006. In June 2007 he and Jordan Milo pleaded guilty to felony alligator poaching and received a very light sentence. Circuit Judge Mark H. Jones, saying he rarely has seen a case with as much public interest, sentenced Jordan Milo, 20, and Timothy Goll, 19, to six months at the Monroe County Detention Center, five years’ probation, community service and a psychological evaluation, despite the public outcry for five years in prison.
Goll has not been able to take advantage of this good fortune. In April 2008 he violated probation for failing to see his therapist, a requirement under the sentence agreement, failing to pay $50 per month for probation supervision, and testing positive for cocaine and marijuana. Goll was sentenced to 364 days in jail with credit for time served and had to complete an in-house program at the jail. This by the original judge.

In February 2009, Goll again violated his probation for failing to pay $50 per month, tested positive for cocaine, marijuana and Xanax. Fortunately, for the public, there was a new judge on the case. This time Judge David Audlin sentenced Goll to 36 months in the State prison, he gets credit for the 348 days he served in Monroe County Jail but will still have 2+ years left.

Rest easy Cola, justice has finally been served, at least Groll's case. Jordon Milo continued his military service, went to Iraq, and is now a full time college student on my sophomore year majoring in Business Management and minoring in Aerospace Engineering. You can find him easily on MYSPACE.

Groll, Milo and dead Cola.

Milo today:

In case you missed the story, here's a write up of it.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Al, as a former resident of Cudjoe Key, I really must dispute your claim that, "The locals thought of these two gators as pets or mascots. These gators were not afraid of humans in the least which made them pretty darn dangerous."

The gators were in the Blue Hole, the only freshwater lake in the Keys and a part of the National Key Deer Refuge.

I didn't know you lived on Cudjoe. I was on Big Coppitt.

Well I'm sure most of the residents weren't too happy with those gators being in the Blue Hole but a heck of a lot of them were up in arms over their demise. You lived there so I'm sure you've met your fair share of granola types, I know I did.

I agree that they needed to go. Lots of kids on Big Pine Key used the Blue Hole as a place to get wet. I know, I watched them swim. Seemed foolish at best.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

I didn't know you lived on Cudjoe. I was on Big Coppitt.

Well I'm sure most of the residents weren't too happy with those gators being in the Blue Hole but a heck of a lot of them were up in arms over their demise. You lived there so I'm sure you've met your fair share of granola types, I know I did.

I agree that they needed to go. Lots of kids on Big Pine Key used the Blue Hole as a place to get wet. I know, I watched them swim. Seemed foolish at best.

While I do agree with most of what you say, the phrase Needs to go has me curious. Where they natural residents or put there by the state? If they were there first then they should have been left alone. I lived just outside of Glacier Park in Montana for several years. Everytime somebody moved there they got all bent out of shape the first time a big Grizzley or Lion paid them a vist. All you heard was we need to kill it. My response is always the same, don't like it MOVE. The animals should not have to pay for our play.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I don't know how the gators got there but there isn't a resident gator population on Big Pine. There doesn't need to be one either as people live there.

We have mountain lions here. They come across my property. They were here first. That does not entitle them to eat my grandchildren. Should they hang out here then they have to go too.