Should I change my catch and release policy this time?
By spalladino
@spalladino (17891)
United States
August 9, 2008 3:37pm CST
I live in south central Florida, on the edge of a subdivision outside of town, boardered by sugar cane fields and a sod farm, so we have a few critters on the property. We also have a canal that runs the length of the back of our property, between our street and the next one. Since we live on the corner the canal ends in my back yard.
From the little green geckos, to the frogs, to the turtles, to the fish in the canal, my policy has always been that you can catch it but you have to let it go. A man once asked for permission to catch some of the big turtles so he could sell them to a restaurant and I sent him packing. We sometimes have small alligators in the canal, too, and the catch and release policy applied to them as well. My son-in-law would catch it, wrap duct tape around it's mouth to keep it from biting and take it two blocks away to the river to be released.
But, now we have a big one in the canal! I haven't been able to get a good look at him but he's no three footer and he's been hanging around for weeks. There are children in the immediate area; my grandchildren live nextdoor, a nephew's son lives across the canal and there are other kids in the neighborhood who come and go as the kids play. I also have two cats and a small dog. The kids know to stay away from the canal, unless they're fishing with an adult, and everyone at this end of the block keeps their banks cut so that anything that's out of the water can be easily seen but kids don't always pay attention. So, my stepson, son-in-law and one of my nephews have been trying to catch this gator but he's so large and strong that he manages to break the line before they can haul him out. Animal Control's policy is that, unless he's on land threatening us, they're not going to do anything about him so the guys are determined to get him...in between working and going to football games. He has to be captured because he's not leaving on his own and the guys have more or less convinced me that he needs to be killed as soon as he's on the bank for safety's sake. I would hate for someone to be hurt trying to control a gator of this size so I tend to agree with them. What do you think?
1 response
@Essie119 (673)
• Canada
9 Aug 08
I think that your policy is a good one, but in this case I think that you might have to compromise. If there is any chance of danger to a child, I think that the alligator should be the one to go. It's too bad that Animal Control won't do anything about it, but it's not like gators are an endangered species anymore. I think that for the most part animals should be left alone, but I;d never put the life of a creature above that of a child - mine or anyone elses.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
10 Aug 08
That's how I feel, too, Essie. In their defense, our Animal Control agency is a very small one and they probably don't want to deal with a gator unless they have to. So far this guy has been outwitting the guys so we'll just have to wait and see if he goes away on his own or if they manage to catch him. Thanks for your comments.


