NORTH PORT — Alligators have lived in Florida for millions of years, but one call can spell a gator’s demise.
The Environmental Conservancy of North Port and Surrounding Areas President Barbara Lockhart said many people do not understand what actually happens after a nuisance call is made.
She said the alligator is typically killed. Not relocated.
That, Lockhart said, is because one alligator cannot simply be put into another’s habitat, disturbing a functioning ecosystem.
Lockhart does not understand why people call the reptiles “nuisances” for simply existing.
What Lockhart said about gators being killed after a complaint is true, officials stated.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Public Information Coordinator Lauren Claerbout, confirmed it in an email to The Daily Sun.
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“When a contracted nuisance alligator trapper removes an alligator, it becomes the property of the trapper,” she stated in the email. “In most cases, the alligator is processed for its hide and meat, which is the primary source of compensation for their services. Occasionally, a nuisance alligator is sold alive to an alligator farm, animal exhibit or zoo.”