The video has been the buzz for a few days. Tyler Stolting, one of the managers of the Valencia Golf and Country Club in Naples, Florida, filmed a huge alligator walking around on a golf course, last week, in the middle of storm Eta. The reptile must measure more than 4 meters, and impresses because it walks very straight on its legs. When asked, all “crocodile experts” said that this video was not a rig, validating this size as “normal”.
But beyond the debate on the veracity, or not, of the sequence, a question arises: why are there so many alligators on Florida golf courses? In recent years, in fact, many reptiles have been encrusted as if nothing had happened on the fairways of the southern state of the United States.
“All these golf courses are built in the middle of marshes, mangroves, where these alligators are found, confides Samuel Martin, veterinarian, director of the Ferme aux Crocodiles, a zoo specializing in reptiles in Pierrelatte, in the Drôme. In Florida, homes and golf courses are gaining a lot of ground on the living area of alligators, humans continue to move forward on their territory, and they therefore sometimes do what they can to evolve … “
It must also be said that this species is considered to be “Protected” since 1971 in the United States, and “Their population therefore continues to grow”, says Samuel Martin. “The Americans are trying to control their numbers, with hunts, in particular to recover the skin of the crocodile or for the meat. There are also egg collections … But it is a species in constant progression, despite everything. “
Florida thus has a large population of crocodiles and alligator, around two million according to estimates, the differences of which are mainly in appearance (shape of the muzzle, etc.). “It’s a territory with a lot of swamps, bayou. It is ideal for them. “
The storm may have pushed him there
If he was seen there, in the middle of a storm, it is also because “Maybe the waterways were overflowing, it was a bit chaotic. In this case, alligators are the kings. They move to retrieve dead dogs, carrion that the water has displaced. And they too, moreover, may have been taken on board by water, so they find themselves a little lost in places … They find themselves displaced, in short. “
The gait of the alligator on the video posted this weekend, seeming to walk straight legs, called out. “But it’s quite normal, adds the specialist. Alligators can walk this way. Originally it was a species that had high legs, but over time they shortened and they lay down more. But yes, these are animals that know how to walk… ”
A question of attitude, to finish. Should we leave immediately when we see them on a course? No, listening to Samuel Martin. “Alligators fear humans,” he said. If you’re not going to provoke him, if you’re not going to give him food, there’s no reason for them to attack you. An alligator attacks by surprise, always in the direction of the water towards the ground, and it then brings back its prey. But if he is comfortably seated and you walk past him, he is not going to pounce on you. The only dangerous situations would be if you were fishing with your feet in the water, for example… ”
THE QUESTION. Why are crocodiles so encrusted on golf courses?Ouest-France.fr
