If “Shark Week” has made you fearful of jumping into the ocean, you might want to consider the dangers of tromping through the American wetlands. Over the past decade, more people have perished at the mouths of alligators than those of sharks in this country.

Nine people have died from U.S.-based shark attacks, while 13 were mortal victims of alligator attacks, according to statistics from the Florida Museum of Natural History and the fish and wildlife commissions of Florida and Georgia.

Meanwhile, American crocodiles have never killed or even bitten anyone in their native Florida, but they certainly have the chops to do it. Three decades ago, their numbers had dwindled to about 300. Thanks to conservation efforts, they’ve moved off the Endangered Species list and now boast a current population of close to 1,800.

Millions of humans recreate daily in oceans, lakes, canals and marshy areas without ever having to fend off a sharp-toothed attacker, but it’s always good to be aware of potential danger.

An upcoming Discovery Channel program called “Croc Attack” focuses on residents of Darwin, Australia, who learn that changing weather patterns and suburban sprawl are prompting crocs to slide back into areas thought safe for swimming. In one of the worst cases, an 11-year-old girl is eaten by a saltwater croc several miles up a freshwater stream.

So how likely are crocodilian attacks in the Southern United States?

“I think you’re more likely to be killed by a falling vending machine than by an alligator,” scoffed Florida Fish and Wildlife Agent Lindsey Hord, a leading national expert on American alligators and crocodiles.

Asked whether he’d rather die from a falling vending machine or by a crocodilian dragging him to the bottom of a swamp, he promptly responded, “neither.”

But wild animal attacks wouldn’t make such popular TV shows if that primal fear weren’t still so prevalent in humans.

Crocodiles, once prevalent in Darwin, were nearly wiped out by hunters during the first half of the last century. That made it safe for humans to develop the area and enjoy recreational activities along its coastlines and streams.

Similar scenarios took place in Florida during that era. The state’s population exploded with the dawn of air conditioning. Since then, people have flocked to the state for its sunshine, beaches and pristine wetlands, all assets crocodilians can certainly appreciate.

In Darwin, crocodiles are moving back home to find humans encroaching in their old stomping grounds. In Florida, better enforcement of wildlife protection laws and suburban sprawl increase the chances of crossing paths with a croc or gator.

So how do you take precautions to avoid a grisly crocodilian encounter?

By and large, both alligators and crocodiles are opportunists, said Hord. They aren’t likely to go chasing you down on the poolside patio. In fact, when they’re out on land, they generally aren’t looking for prey, Hord said.

However, if either reptile starts hissing or snapping at you, just get out of its way, and if you can’t do that, call 911. Operators can patch you through to a wildlife hotline.

“Certainly an alligator or a croc is going to defend itself, but leave it alone and it’ll return to the water,” Hord said.

“If you make good decisions, then there’s no reason to be irrationally afraid,” he added.

On the rare chance you do find yourself or a loved one clenched in the teeth of a crocodilian, experts say fight with all your might.

“Smack them and punch them in the nose, eyes, and head, and fight them with everything you have,” said Todd Hardwick, owner of the Pesky Critters trapping program. “Most of the time they’ll let go and move off.”

And remember, experts say, crocs and alligators are just trying to do their part for the ecosystem.

“Crocodilians are top-level predators. They keep other populations healthy by stopping them from overpopulating,” said Hord.

via Croc, Gator Attacks Far Outpace Sharks : Discovery News.

MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. (WPRI) – A man made an unusual discovery in a Middleborough river last week.

He says he fished a two-foot long alligator from the Nemansket River Friday.

The man took the reptile to the Massachusetts State Police barracks in Middleborough.

It was held there until Massachusetts Environmental Police could come to pick it up.

Police are not sure where the alligator came from.

It is illegal to keep them as pets in Massachusetts.

via Alligator fished from Mass. river | WPRI.com.

FORT MYERS: The teen who lost his hand in an alligator attack spoke publicly Friday for the first time since Sunday night’s accident.

Tim Delano spoke about the attack that left him without his left hand, even joking a bit and being thankful that he is right-handed.

Delano was swimming in a canal in Golden Gate Estates when an 11-foot alligator pulled him underwater.

Delano was able to free himself from the gator’s “death roll” by punching the reptile with his right hand.

“I shortly realized that this is for real, I opened my eyes, I saw the gator’s face doing the death roll. I could see the bottom of his mouth,” he said. “I just took my hand and screamed. You could see my muscle, bone moving around.”

He says immediate shock took over. Delano and his friends jumped in his truck. They called 9-1-1, and then he made one more important phone call.

“I said, ‘Hey mom, my hand got taken off by an alligator. I’m on my way to the hospital. I love you, goodbye, hope to see you again,’” Delano said.

He was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, where attempts to reattach his severed hand were unsuccessful because doctors feared his hand was infected.

Delano says the constant reminders – even from his parents – make it hard for him to cope with what happened.

“They were sitting across from me and all I could look at was their left hand and just started breaking down,” he said.

But Delano says he still has something to look forward to. His doctor is working to get him a prosthetic hand.

“That’s what is giving me hope and I can move on with my life a little bit, but just one step at a time,” he said.

Saturday, the Palmetto Ridge Marching Pride – the band Delano was in – is holding a fundraiser car wash for him.

It’s from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at “E’s Country Store” at Immokalee and Oil Well Roads in Golden Gate Estates.

via Gator attack victim speaks publicly for first time – ABC-7.com WZVN News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida.

NAPLES — Beside Alligator Alley in Golden Gate, there is a canal that locals have named “the Crystal.”

Tracy Cusick, 39, and Chris Kight, 49, parked their van and set their white plastic chairs underneath a shade tree beside the Crystal, their favorite swimming hole, to enjoy some “tranquility.”

Cars repeatedly swoosh by on the interstate, but the trees act as a buffer between the couple and civilization.

“Normally when they drive past they, blow their horn at us,” Kight said.

In some places of the canal, the clear water makes it easy to see the bottom. Fish dash by and the surface of the water sometimes ripples as they go. In other parts, which Kight thinks can be as deep as 40 feet, the water is mysterious and dark.

Cusick and Kight have visited the Crystal to swim, fish and meet with friends for about 20 years, but they are worried they may have to fight to keep the swimming hole open after a gruesome alligator attack on Sunday left a young man without a hand.

Tim Delano, 18, was attacked by a 10-foot alligator while swimming in the canal with friends Sunday evening. The gator clamped its mouth around Delano’s left hand and then severed it when the teen got away.

Friends drove Delano a couple of miles to get help. Delano was airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital, where he is recovering. A tracker, sent by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, later trapped and killed the gator.

Delano wants people to stop swimming at the Crystal. “I hope they shut it down, so no accidents like this will happen again,” he said.

Kight said what happened to Delano was a first.

“It was a freak accident,” Kight said.

Although Cusick and Kight were the only mid-afternoon swimmers at the Crystal Monday, Kight said there were about 75 people there Sunday.

People were listening to music, barbecuing and swimming in the canal, according to the couple.

“It’s just a hangout,” Kight said.

Parents bring their children to swim and fish.

“The kids are never unattended,” Cusick said.

The day of the accident, Kight and Cusick left before it got dark, around 7 p.m., because they won’t swim in the Crystal past sunset.

“A gator feeds at night like a shark does,” Kight said.

Unlike Delano, they have seen gators in the waters before. “Any canal you go in there’s a chance,” Kight said.

Kight learned what happened to Delano from a television news report later that night. He knew it was the Crystal right away.

“I recognized a tree,” Kight said.

There’s still a dried pool of blood where Delano stood after he got out of the water. Kight pointed it out on the dirt road. He said they are glad Delano survived, but they’re worried their favorite swimming hole won’t.

“It would really bother me if they shut it down. There aren’t places to swim,” Cusick said.

She thinks it might be a good idea to post signs warning people about the potential dangers or to let them know what to do to stay safe.

“Everyone knows anyway, but to refresh their memories,” Cusick said.

But if there is a push to ban people from swimming in the Crystal, Kight said he’d start a petition to fight it.

“There will be a lot of people to sign it,” he said. “It’s the last swimming hole we have in Naples.”

via PHOTOS: Alligator attack doesn’t deter locals from swimming in the Crystal » Naples Daily News.

The victim of an alligator attack could have his hand sewn back on after police retrieved it from the animal’s stomach.

Timothy Delano, 18, was attacked by the 10ft beast while swimming with two friends yesterday evening in a canal at Naples, Florida.

He was today recovering in hospital after being airlifted there and doctors are hopeful that they may be able reattach his hand.

Vicious: An American alligator like the one that attacked Timothy Delano in Florida

His attacker was tracked down, killed and his stomach was ‘harvested’, said Gabriella Ferraro, a spokesman for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

She said of the mission to retrieve Mr Delano’s hand: ‘Our goal is always to make a person whole again.’

However, she warned that people should recognize that any fresh water body in Florida could have alligators.

She said those animals are most active at dawn and dusk.

via Alligator victim could get back hand after police retrieve it from 10ft beast’s stomach | Mail Online.

GOLDEN GATE ESTATES — An 18-year-old Golden Gate Estates man, who lost his hand after an alligator attack in the Estates on Sunday night, may be getting back what he lost.

Timothy J. Delano, 18, was swimming in a drainage canal called “The Chrystal” near the intersection of Everglades Boulevard and 42nd Avenue when a 10-foot alligator bit his left hand off, said FWC spokeswoman Gabriella Ferraro.

Delano and two companions fled the canal and went to a gas station at Wilson and Golden Gate boulevards to call 911 at approximately 9:30 p.m., said Collier Emergency Medical Services spokeswoman Cherie Wilson-Watson.

Delano was airlifted to the Lee Memorial Hospital trauma center in Fort Myers by Collier EMS, officials said.

Ferraro said a trapper was able to find the attacking alligator last night. The gator was “harvested” and the victim’s hand was found in its stomach.

Attempts could be made to reattach the Delano’s hand, Ferraro said.

“Our goal is always to make a person whole again,” she said.

Delano is in good condition, reported Lee Memorial spokeswoman Pat Dolce.

Ferraro said people should recognize that any fresh water body in Florida could have alligators. She said those animals are most active at dawn and dusk.

via Alligator bites 18-year-old’s hand off; gator caught and hand recovered » Naples Daily News.

NAPLES, Fla. — A man is hospitalized in southwest Florida after an alligator bit off his left hand.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Gabriella Ferraro said the man was swimming with three friends in a Collier County canal around 9:30 p.m. Sunday when the alligator attacked.

The men swam to shore and drove to a gas station, where they called 911.

A helicopter flew the victim to a Fort Myers hospital. His name was not released and his condition early Monday was not known.

Ferraro said the 10 foot 2 inch alligator was captured. The hand was retrieved from its stomach and flown to the hospital.

Wildlife officials advise people to stay out of freshwater canals and lakes this time of year because alligators are more active, especially around dawn and dusk.

via Man Loses Hand In Alligator Attack – Orlando News Story – WKMG Orlando.

An alligator attacked a man and bit off his hand in Golden Gate Estates late Sunday.

Collier County emergency personnel and sheriff’s deputies, along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, responded, emergency dispatchers reported.

The man was airlifted to the Lee Memorial Hospital trauma center in Fort Myers, officials said.

An alligator trapper was searching for the alligator Sunday night.

via Alligator attacks Golden Gate Estates man, bites off his hand, authorities say » Naples Daily News.

WEST ASHLEY, SC (WCSC) — What started out as an early morning dog walk turned in to a battle of life or death for William Belch of West Ashley.

Belch said he was walking his grandchildren’s German Sheppard, Dutchess, near a community pond in the Hamilton Grove subdivision around 7 a.m. Sunday.  Suddenly, according to Belch, a sharp movement in the water caught the attention of Dutchess who broke free from his grasp and headed directly toward the water.

“It was so quick!” recalled Belch.  “Like a snake striking out!”

Within seconds, what Belch described as an eight foot alligator had Dutchess in its jaws, dragging the 80-pound dog into the water.

“I knew it was my grandchildren’s dog and that I would have no way of explaining to them that [the dog] had been killed by a gator, so I just reacted on instinct.”

Which meant Belch was going to get in the water. He spent the next 30 seconds in a three-way tug of war; one hand pulling Dutchess, the other thrashing the alligator on the nose.

After a trip to a local veterinarian Dutchess will make a full recovery. The dog has some scarring on her legs and skull.  While animal safety is a top concern, admits Belch, it’s not his only worry.

“The neighborhood is lined with houses, all filled with small children,” Belch said.  “Something is going to happen. Something tragic. I just know it.”

Belch’s daughter, Joanna Robbs, said she has called her homeowners association as well as the Department of Natural Resources about alligator problems in the past.

“Usually they tell us [the alligators] are more afraid of humans and pets than anything else,” Robbs said. “Clearly, this isn’t the case.”

Robbs and Belch both say that, in their observation, the alligators that do inhabit the pond make their way from a heavily wooded swamp area that surrounds much of Hamilton Grove.  Robbs also said that the Department of Natural Resources has told her that due to the close proximity of the alligators natural habitat to the neighborhood, it is hard to do anything drastic about the situation.

“They expect us to live side by side, but that just isn’t safe,” Robbs said.  “An alligator can grab an 80-pound dog, it can grab a 50-pound child.”

Both Belch and Robbs agree killing the alligators is not the best method of control, however.

“Fences, barricades, something,” Belch said. “Something has to be done before it is too late.”

Follow up calls to the Department of Natural Resources and the local homeowners association will be made when offices resume business on Monday Robbs said.

via West Ashley alligator attack spikes safety concerns – CHARLESTON, SC NEWS – LIVE 5 WCSC Breaking News, Weather, Sports.

WEST ASHLEY, SC (WCSC) — What started out as an early morning dog walk turned in to a battle of life or death for William Belch of West Ashley.

Belch said he was walking his grandchildren’s German Sheppard, Dutchess, near a community pond in the Hamilton Grove subdivision around 7 a.m. Sunday.  Suddenly, according to Belch, a sharp movement in the water caught the attention of Dutchess who broke free from his grasp and headed directly toward the water.

“It was so quick!” recalled Belch.  “Like a snake striking out!”

Within seconds, what Belch described as an eight foot alligator had Dutchess in its jaws, dragging the 80-pound dog into the water.

“I knew it was my grandchildren’s dog and that I would have no way of explaining to them that [the dog] had been killed by a gator, so I just reacted on instinct.”

Which meant Belch was going to get in the water. He spent the next 30 seconds in a three-way tug of war; one hand pulling Dutchess, the other thrashing the alligator on the nose.

After a trip to a local veterinarian Dutchess will make a full recovery. The dog has some scarring on her legs and skull.  While animal safety is a top concern, admits Belch, it’s not his only worry.

“The neighborhood is lined with houses, all filled with small children,” Belch said.  “Something is going to happen. Something tragic. I just know it.”

Belch’s daughter, Joanna Robbs, said she has called her homeowners association as well as the Department of Natural Resources about alligator problems in the past.

“Usually they tell us [the alligators] are more afraid of humans and pets than anything else,” Robbs said. “Clearly, this isn’t the case.”

Robbs and Belch both say that, in their observation, the alligators that do inhabit the pond make their way from a heavily wooded swamp area that surrounds much of Hamilton Grove.  Robbs also said that the Department of Natural Resources has told her that due to the close proximity of the alligators natural habitat to the neighborhood, it is hard to do anything drastic about the situation.

“They expect us to live side by side, but that just isn’t safe,” Robbs said.  “An alligator can grab an 80-pound dog, it can grab a 50-pound child.”

Both Belch and Robbs agree killing the alligators is not the best method of control, however.

“Fences, barricades, something,” Belch said. “Something has to be done before it is too late.”

Follow up calls to the Department of Natural Resources and the local homeowners association will be made when offices resume business on Monday Robbs said.

via West Ashley alligator attack spikes safety concerns – CHARLESTON, SC NEWS – LIVE 5 WCSC Breaking News, Weather, Sports.