CROCLIST: Suicide by Alligator?

[Bill Zeigler]

I am unaware of multiple killing of gators by the general public regarding
the 2006 incidents. The gator deaths that occurred were the result of
controlled killings and not wanton killings by an outraged public. And
despite the DSC program, there are a number of other issues surrounding the
human deaths.

  

All I am saying is the species is not going to become endangered due to
these types of killings.  No one is saying ignore these things, no one is
saying they are not bad and I certainly don't like any killing of gators
that is not a part of a population management plan.  Which I am sure will
open the door to a new host of comments!   

 

And the human extinction comment?  Don't even go there, we humans act by
choice, gators do not, a big difference.   My professional interests and
training in crocodilians, which is extensive, keeps me watchful, but also
tells me through the science of demographic management, gators are safe from
extinction for the time being.  The real fact is extinction will not be
caused by any of the above, but by our choices of natural resource usage,
global warming and climate changes before anything else.  Its good to not
want any deaths to occur, but it is also unrealistic to think you can stop
it; the goal needs to be the species, work on saving the specimen and you
could find you lost the species in the process.

 

If you want to rail against policy do so, just realize that policy is a game
of compromise, has been and always will be, that is reality that is human.
You, me..all of the conservationists in the world have yet to change that,
despite our endeavors, and in the case of the alligator, I'd rather
compromise and gain some ground than find I lost altogether.  Doesn't mean I
agree with it or like it!   It easy to say, think outside the box, don't
compromise, and in many cases I don't, but in the case of man versus the
gator, compromise is working well for the species.

Bill

 

  _____  

From: croclist-bounces at lists.gatorhole.com
[mailto:croclist-bounces at lists.gatorhole.com] On Behalf Of
ADestroyah at aol.com
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2008 1:06 PM
To: croclist at lists.gatorhole.com
Subject: Re: CROCLIST: Suicide by Alligator?

 

But they aren't safe! Have you seen Hunter and Hunted on DSC channel? (I
believe Discovery was the network..) One of the episodes was about the
record setting three alligator attacks on women in 06 I believe it was, that
ended with three fatalities in the time span of about a week.. Multiple
alligators were killed during the course of investigating the women's
deaths, and searching for their killers.. Usually it's the largest alligator
in an area that will kill a person, but sometimes there are exceptions. If
nutcase gets eaten, then there's no telling how many gators will be killed
before the one that got him is properly identified. You're right that
alligators won't go extinct over something like that, but some of us don't
want any alligators being killed needlessly, regardless if it's just one
gator out in the bayou, or someone's escaped pet.

 

Then there's the matter of the human! What about him? Or does nobody care
because there are 6 billion of us and one less nutcase wandering the swamps
won't lead to our extinction? I know that's not the case, but come on.. This
whole thing is a GLARING failure of public policy, and it should be of
interest to us because it involves a species we all have a professional
interest in, and/or admiration for... People and alligators don't have to
come into conflict. It's always an accident, or a lapse (lack in this case)
of judgement that leads to confrontations. 

 

In a message dated 3/14/2008 9:38:11 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
bzeigler at atlantic.net writes:

The point of the original discussion has been lost it seems.  It started
from comments like: 

 

"Argh, they're going to let this lunatic out, and he'll be right back 

>>in the waters again until he does get eaten, then the freaks will 

>>start killing all of the alligators... Then again, maybe that's what they
want."

 

That inferred mass killings and most of my comments were directed to those
remarks, and the fact that alligators are safe from that kind of retaliatory
action; as in the voting down of the proposed law to allow home owners to
kill gators at their discretion.  Do people kill gators illegally? Yes they
do! Is there enough of that type of killing, good or bad, to endanger the
species? NO!  That is all I was saying. 

 

 

  _____  

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