MATING SEASON BRINGS GATORS OUT
People should keep a safe distance and never feed reptiles.
PORT ST. LUCIE — Clara Cunha’s first glimpse of an alligator prowling a neighborhood during mating season grabbed her — and the world of Facebook — by the eyeballs.
The 25-year-old said she had never seen Florida’s signature reptile live and in public until last week, when she and her brother were headed down Ruiz Terrace to clean a pool. There in the front yard of a home was an 8-foot gator, hissing as a group of construction workers stepped closer.
“It’s so much bigger in person,” Cunha said, whose Facebook video of the gator was shared more than 8,600 times in three days. “It was huge and plump. It was a very scary experience.”
The gator strolled into a canal 15 minutes later, but it won’t be the last time one is sighted in the weeks ahead. May starts mating and nesting season, making sightings common. Authorities warn the reptiles can be anywhere you’ll find standing water. One spotted Tuesday in a retention pond near Royal Palm Beach High School led to classes being moved out of portables on the campus.
“If you live near fresh water, you’re probably going to see a gator,” said Carol Lyn Parrish, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “It’s bound to happen.”
The Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, or SNAP, removed 8,455 alligators statewide in 2017, according to its website. Generally, SNAP will determine a gator is a nuisance if it’s 4 feet or larger and it could be a threat to people or property.
In Palm Beach County, 14 alligators were euthanized. There were 12 reports of alligator bites statewide, up from eight the previous year.
Port St. Lucie Detective Sergeant Joe Norkus said a trapper wasn’t needed for Cunha’s sighting, but dispatchers will call someone from a list of local trappers if the gator poses a large enough threat.
Generally, gator-spotters don’t need to call for help unless the animal is showing signs of aggression. A licensed trapper would only come if SNAP determines a reported alligator is enough of a risk to require removal. The best thing to do is to keep a safe distance from any alligators — and never feed them.
The construction workers had already reported the alligator to
state officials and were still there to marvel at its size when Cunha and her brother got there. She said she was too nervous to get close, but her brother and the other two men walked toward it until it started hissing.
Cunha said her viral video reached a homeowner in that neighborhood. She asked if they reported the pest because they have a 2-yearold at home. She told Cunha she has seen a mother gator and its babies, but never one as big as the star of the video.
Cunha sarcastically captioned her Facebook post, “Just a regular Tuesday afternoon in Port St. Lucie, Florida ...”