EVERGLADES, Fla. (NewsNation) — Florida cities are warning residents about potentially more aggressive alligators amid mating season in the Everglades.
Alligator mating season typically begins in April in Florida. Although attacks are rare, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has recorded more than 450 incidents since 1948, with only 30 being deadly.
It’s a Florida fatal attraction, according to Capt. Wes Bedell of Naples Inshore & Offshore Fishing Charters.
“It’s mating season down here in the Everglades, so, they’re extra-territorial,” he said. “They’ll push the smaller one out to pick up on their ladies and plant their flag.”
Bedell said he recently encountered two at least 14-foot-long gators during a boat tour, but he wasn’t the only one astonished by the scene.
“I had some clients on the boat when I was on this tour, I turned around and they were straight deer in the headlights,” Bedell said. “There was some Jurassic Park theme music going on in the background for sure. Straight carnage.”
Authorities urge residents to pay attention to their surroundings, not to feed alligators, to keep their pets on a leash at the end of a body of water, and to never swim outside of posted swimming areas. Additionally, they reminded residents that if they see a baby alligator, the mother is watching nearby.