Temple Terrace Should Snap Up Chance For Role In Gator Control

Published: Jul 14, 2007

Anyone who lives near a river in Florida knows that alligators come with the territory. It's no different in Temple Terrace where the city is being asked to better manage the alligator population along the Hillsborough River.

Ken Cochran, a resident whose 80-pound Labrador Retriever "Dude" was eaten by a 10-foot, 350-pound alligator after the dog escaped his kennel and jumped into the river, has asked the city to join the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission's targeted-harvest program. The program allows the city to strike an agreement with the state to remove some large gators from the river.

Currently, people concerned about an alligator's presence can enlist the state's program for nuisance alligators, but the gator must be at least four-feet long and pose a threat to people or pets. State wildlife experts investigate and either move the alligator to another location or allow it to be caught by a trapper.

The targeted-harvest program allows the city to call in trappers for large alligators before there is an incident.

The council should agree to join the program. A city with eyes on the river each day is well situated to manage its alligator population.

Temple Terrace residents understand that alligators are needed as predators to naturally control the population of snakes, rodents and raccoons. They also want to observe alligators - from afar, no feeding please - from their riverfront homes and parks.

But the city should agree to manage the alligator population because as Cochran knows, large alligators are capable of becoming a menace. There is no need to wait for an incident.

Some in the city mistakenly believe the targeted-harvest program will allow trappers to hunt all gators on the city's stretch of the river. It does not.

The application process requires the city to strictly define which large alligators may be removed and identify "hot spots" where alligators may come in direct confrontation with humans - such as a park or a boat ramp. Alligators less than 4-feet long are rarely a danger.

The state will not approve applications that call for a massive eradication program or for placing miles of riverfront off limits to gators, says Harry Dutton, the Fish and Wildlife Commission's alligator management coordinator.

The stretch of river in the Temple Terrace city limits - from Fletcher Avenue south to the 56th Street bridge - is off limits to hunters, so big gators aren't cleared out as regularly as in other parts of the state. Residents say some large gators on this stretch of the river appear to have been fed and don't fear humans.

The targeted-harvested program has existed since 1978 and involves more than 100 communities. During the same time, Florida's alligator population has rebounded from endangered status.

Temple Terrace has been proactive in asking the state to remove unusually large gators from the river before they cause any harm. This program streamlines the process.

Temple Terrace should be eager to play a larger role in keeping the peace between all of its residents - human and reptilian.