Visitors to Lake Erie were surprised Sunday when someone spotted what appeared to be a 4 to 6 foot-long alligator floating by, considerably farther north than they might be expected.
"At first I thought it was fake," said Erie resident Stina Roach, who shot video of it. "But then we saw the tail and body. It was kind of scary.”
The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission called in a trapper to catch it, if it exists. Experts believe if the alligator is real, it's probably an exotic pet someone released into the lake.
“They wouldn’t survive a winter here," Scott Mitchell, Erie Zoo Director of Development said. "That’s the unfortunate thing with this alligator if it’s not captured, it will die. They can handle some colder temperatures. They can’t last long unless it’s a very, very mild winter, there’s no chance it can survive a winter here."
Florida knows gators
Well, we have a little experience with gators here in the Sunshine State. (Also exotic, invasive pets. Don't ask us about wild monkeys, iguanas or lionhead rabbits, please.) The estimated 1.3 million alligators in Florida make their homes in every county we have and just about every body of water larger than a puddle. And you'll want to look hard at those puddles. We've achieved a sort of live-and-let-live policy, for the most part.
In the interest of helping out a distant neighbor, let us give you a few tips.
Alligators are not that dangerous, until they are
Alligator attacks on humans are very rare. They usually avoid humans.
When it happens it makes the news, which makes it seem more common, and certainly people have been killed or injured. But the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says the chances of a Florida resident being seriously injured in an unprovoked alligator attack areone in 3.1 million.
Over the past 10 years,the FWC confirmed thatFlorida has averaged eight unprovoked alligator bites per yearthat are serious enough to require professional medical treatment.
Gators in Florida have been more active lately, showing up in people's yards, homes and even kitchens, but it's mating season here and the weaker males are looking for habitats. Depending on your temperatures up there you probably don't have that problem right now.
Keep your pets away from water
Alligator attacks on dogs in Florida are much more common, as dogs are much closer to the size of prey gators are used to lying underwater and waiting for.
Last year, alligators killed a40-pound black labrador retriever mixin Tallahassee, an80-pound Dalmatianin Jacksonville, a50-pound pit bullon the campus of State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota, and alarge bulldogin Port Orange, among others.
Several of the attacks on humans came from pet owners trying to rescue their dogs, in fact. In 2021, a 74-year-old Boca Raton womansuccessfully fought off an alligatorthat attacked her golden retriever mix. But last year, an85-year-old Fort Pierce womanwas dragged into a golf course retention pond when she tried to pull her dog away from a 10-foot gator. This April a man walking his two dogs was bitten by an 11-footer.
Be careful where and when you swim
If you've got gators, be aware that they're at their most active between dusk and dawn.Keep an eye out for moving shapes, especially marshy areas near the shore.
Closely supervise children and pets in and around water
Keep an eye on children when they are playing in or around water, and do not allow pets to swim, exercise or drink or near waters if an alligator is suspected (see above re: pets). The sound of dogs barking and playing may even draw an alligator to the area.
Do not feed an alligator or try to take selfies
When you feed them, alligators can overcome their natural fear of humans and start to associate them with food.
If you take photos, do it from a safe distance, at least 30 feet. Do not attempt to get close, touch it or handle it, for what should be obvious reasons but people are going to people.
If you see an alligator, run away
Alligators are usually afraid of people, rarely bite humans for reasons other than food, and are most dangerous in the water or by the shoreline. But they can move very quickly for short distances on land and they can lunge. If you see one, go the other way.
If you see one when you're in the water, get out as quickly and as quietly as you can.
"Splashing in the water will attract analligator's interest, and if it perceives at that point in time that there's something smaller and weaker in the water, it might attack it," said Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology and member of the "Croc Docs" at the University of Florida. "Anytime you show up next to water, you're assuming some risk... Don't tempt it."
If you're being chased by an alligator, run straight, don't try to zig-zag. That just keeps you from getting farther away. According to retired trapper Gator Bill Robb in 2018, "Raise your hands, look as big as possible, back up, and once you’ve made yourself look large, if the alligator doesn’t retreat, get out as fast as you can in a straight line."
Do not try to catch one in a garbage can. The momentary internet fame isn't worth the chance of injury or infection.
If you are attacked or bitten, fight back
"If an alligator bites you, the best thing to do is fight back," the FWC says, "providing as much noise and resistance as possible. Hitting or kicking the alligator or poking it in its eyes may cause it to release its grip. When alligators seize prey they cannot easily overpower, they will often let go and retreat."
You can induce a gator's gag reflex by jamming objects in the back of its mouth, and when it tries to reposition prey in its mouth, that's your chance to escape.
"If you should be attacked, fight like your life depends on it because it does," Mazzoti said.
If you get bitten by an alligator, get medical attention as soon as possible. Alligator bites can result in serious infection.
Good luck with your gator, Lake Erie! We're hoping it can be safely captured and given a new home.
Not here, of course. We have plenty.
