Anyone have any alligator stories?

[NICU_RNwantsFL]

Recently my husband and I bought some property near Micanopy (between Gainesville and Ocala) in anticipation of moving there summer of 2006.

Stupid me thought I might perhaps be able to stroll my property without fear of being attacked by alligators............................

I know all the obvious stuff like, don't swim in any rivers, ponds, etc. Stay away from water's edge, etc. But I am TERRIFIED!!!!

Can any of you native Floridians help a poor South Carolinian nurse deal with her fears? I am really tied up in knots about this.

Thanks!

[anc33]

Is your property right off of a swamp or lake? I would be wary of the "swampier" places around Micanopy. FWS does remove a lot of gators from the UF campus and relocate them south of town. However, they don't put them near very populated places. As long as you are not swimming in murky water, etc... For the most part I wouldn't worry. If you have animals you might want to supervise them outside. But I really wouldn't fear for my personal safety.

[fotografe]

We lived in a community that had an alligator sanctuary in the nearby lake. You couldnt' use motorboats there, but row boats and fishing were allowed. I was only a kid, but had no problem going down there to fish. The gators tended to stay away from where the people were.

This was many moons ago -- mid to late 70's. The property right on the lake they did have alligators sunning on the shore. They were the original owners of the land the development was built upon, so they had written into their sale agreement that it would be a wildlife sanctuary. They lived there for a couple generations, and said they never had trouble with the gators. Other friends with waterside property did say they lost several dogs to gators, so I would keep your pets away from the water.

Hope that helps. (I was never afraid of gators, my bogeyman there were the snakes, but never had encounters with them either)