Gators in Paradise

One thing that always seems to shock visitors and newly arrived retirees when they first arrive in Florida is the number of alligators crawling and swimming around the state. I believe -- and I'm not positive about this -- there are upwards of 2 million alligators living in the wild in Florida. I'm not exactly sure how they count them and I certainly wouldn't want to be one of the state's alligator census-takers, but I will assume this number is reasonably accurate. Whatever the number, it's big. There are a lot of alligators in Florida.

During our first week here in The Villages back in early 2004, in the course of one of our unguided get-to-know-the-area drives, Diane and I came across a small state park just a mile or so from our home. The park, located along the shore of a local lake, also included a small beach and swimming area, complete with a nice dock. (see the photo below).

Lake Miona State Park

In the center of the photo, just beyond the sandy beach, you will notice a large white sign. It lists the park's rules, and I have included a photo of the sign itself below. Reading through the list of rules, we encounter nothing unusual until rule number 10: "Do not feed alligators or wildlife." Now, this might seem normal to Florida folks, but to the rest of us, doesn't this seem a bit odd for a rule posted at a swimming area? Seems to me you run the risk of violating this rule simply by taking a swim.

Park Rules (click to enlarge)

Since then we have encountered (always from a safe distance) dozens of these nasty-looking creatures, both here in The Villages and elsewhere throughout the state. I've even come across gator roadkill on Florida's Turnpike, so you know these critters get out of the water occasionally and roam around where we'd least expect to encounter them.

This past week, during our grandchildren's visit, we were enjoying an ice cream down by Lake Sumter Landing, one of The Villages' two town squares, when we spotted a relatively small (perhaps six or seven feet long) alligator basking in the water near the boardwalk...apparently waiting for a careless, unsuspecting grandchild to topple into the lake.

"Cute" young gator at Lake Sumter Landing, The Villages

And so, even here in our artificial paradise, evils lurk. But, perhaps I shouldn't be so judgmental about our toothy friends. After all, God did create them, and as my granddaughter, Camilla, said when she spotted the gator swimming just a few feet away, "Oh, look, Papa, he's so cute!"