I had the same thought, no gators around here.... but we do have to be concerned about some grizzlies in the North Cascades, mountain lions and black bears in all of western WA.
Didn't a young child get attacked recently by a cougar/mt. lion in the Olympic NP not too far from you in Sequim?
That's not really how it works. My Brother lives in Westchase, a nice town about 30 miles north of Tampa. Most of the subdivisions there are built on swampland. They spend years hauling in dirt to fill in the swamp to build homes. The homes all have a backyard that backs up to open land for a few hundred yards until you get to the backyards of houses the next long block over. They have big ponds every 3 or 4 houses for drainage and water run off. These ponds are about 4 times the size of an average golf course pond. They're full of bass and perch. And gators(snakes too). Gators are territorial and you rarely see more than 2 gators per pond. They all come out and sun themselves on the banks of the ponds. Some keep their mouths open wide. They can stay still for hours and you'd swear they were statues. There's also a lot of water birds, herons, etc. walking around the ponds. If one gets close enough, in a split second, he's lunch. Gators can run 20 mph in a short distance. Faster than you can run 40 feet. A lot of older people, not really aware, maybe poor vision, like to walk their dogs in the areas between backyards. They may not see a still alligator until it runs to their dogs. Most people know to always be on the lookout. Gators don't always stay by the ponds, especially after a rain (which is often). Most big dogs know to stay away from gators and gators usually don't mess with them. They really love those little yappy, fuzzballs with painted toenails. He's lived there 32 years and never lost a dog. He's had gators break through his screen and end up in his pool. One time Fed EX had to leave his package next door because there was a small (5 foot) gator on his porch. Sometimes you see them crossing the street or lying on the sidewalk (they like the heat.) One time he was jogging at dawn and he didn't see the 10 footer in the road until he almost ran into it. It's like living in bear and mountain lion country. You know what to look for and you know what and what not to do. Most of the older people and their dogs that get eaten are retiree's that had recently moved there from other states. One Thanksgiving, I caught one in his pond using a tuna hook and a chicken leg as bait. The visiting kids thought it was really cool. My nephews barely paid attention. So, my 2 cents on Gators 101.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2023 10:14PM by stillanon.
I live in Hyrum, Utah, and we are close to many canyons, etc. The only thing I've ever had to worry about with my dogs was one neighbor had a pit bull that did attack one of my dogs once when the husband was walking him. I don't know what I would have done.
Oh, yes, I forgot. My boyfriend had a German Shepherd who was huge. She was some other breed, too, or some German Shepherd. Someone told us to get Pet Corrector for her to train her and it worked. I was walking her one day and a Shih Tzu dog came and attacked her. She was shocked and by the time her shock wore off, I had sprayed that and the Shih Tzu ran off.
Big dogs are great for a lot of things I guess. Not fun as puppies! I have one that is a year old and he likes to jump on me.
But crocodiles, I'll stay away. I don't go anywhere I'm going to likely run into bears or especially lions. Elk. Sure. But not in my neighborhood. I have seen deer here.
Probably no crocodiles in your state, or any other State but FL. If you've got deer and elk, you've got mountain lions/cougars. I have a few cougars on my block and they can bite me anytime.
There is a really interesting Instagram account if anybody wants to look it up. Nature is Metal. Warning: the account shows videos of wild animals hunting and eating other animals. Not for the squeamish.
Wild predators are brutal. They catch live prey, and often eat them without killing them. Why? Because they want to eat the prey before another animal encroaches on their meal.
What really worries me is when people who don't know how wild animals work jump out of their car to get a selfie with a predator. They often get maimed or killed.
Gators? Pshaw. Here's something much more interesting, and the perfect reason for Dave to book a trip to Thailand on his next international junket. I'm sure he'll be eager to see one up close.
Two years ago I wrote a letter which urged the First Presidency to consider establishing an animal refuge for alligators at Temple Square. I reminded them that both Elder Oaks and Elder Bednar are master trainers of alligators and that both would be willing to give it their all to such a loving, friendly species. It would be an amazing exhibit for visitors to watch Bednar and Oaks petting such docile and reverent creatures.