Baited alligator traps have been set up along the canal behind homes in the Village of Bridgeport at Lake Sumter.
A trapper contracted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has been regularly checking the traps over the past few days.
He was spotted removing an 8-foot alligator from one of the traps on Friday afternoon.
The traps remain in place today, presumably to capture any remaining alligators.
“Once the alligator is caught it will be euthanized,” said Tony Young of the FWC Hunting and Game Management Division.
A little history
This little body of water behind homes on Evans Way and Noble Way is where Villager Steve Gustafson on Sept. 18, 2012 famously wrestled a 130-pound alligator to save his little dog, Bounce.
Gustafson’s story was prominently featured in the Orlando media. Even the venerable Reader’s Digest retold Gustafson’s story. You can read the Reader’s Digest account below:
http://www.rd.com/true-stories/survival/grandpa-wrestles-a-gator-to-save-his-dog/
But Gustafson said he is not the source of the latest complaint about an alligator in the water near his home.
He and Bounce regularly stroll by the little canal and have not heard any complaints about alligators.
He also wonders what may have happened to prompt the baited traps.
FWC continually warns that citizens should never feed alligators and should always keep a safe distance from the creatures.
Any citizen can call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline in Florida to report an alligator perceived to be a threat.
If the alligator is more than four feet long and has shown aggressive behavior, FWC will send a contracted trapper out to capture the alligator.
But the alligator will not be removed and put somewhere else. The alligator is killed.
The trapper is paid a small stipend but has the opportunity to harvest the hide and meat from the alligator to pay for his time and expenses.
“Most of the trappers have existing deals with restaurants or whomever,” Young said.
Linda Collins of the South Florida Alligator Field Station in Okeechobee said she believes that the Village of Bridgeport at Lake Sumter trapping request did not surface through the Nuisance Alligator Hotline, but rather through Villages District Property Management. She said FWC and Villages District Property Management have a contractual arrangement for alligator removal. She said the district provided the direction to put out the traps.
However, Dave Burgess, assistant director for Villages District Property Management, said Friday afternoon he was unaware of any alligator complaints or trapping measures in that neighborhood.
Residents of the neighborhood continue to wonder about why the alligator traps are in place.
“It would be a shame to see that alligator killed,” said Jody Wyman who lives on Noble Way. “I don’t want to see an alligator killed without good reason.”
