>> SEEING A MONSTER ALLIGATOR
LIKE THIS ONE MIGHT NOT BE A
SURPRISE TO THOSE WHO LIVED IN
FLORIDA FOR A WHILE.
BUT ONE LOCAL BODY OF WATER
CONTAINS NEARLY 2,000
ALLIGATORS.
THEY ARE POPPING UP IN PLACES
THEY HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN BEFORE.
>> WE SAW WHERE THEY ARE
POPULATING THE MOST.
>> UP UNTIL 1987 ALLIGATORS WERE
AN ENDANGERED SPECIES.
EVERY YEAR BIOLOGISTS SURVEY OUR
WATERS TO TRACK THE ALLIGATOR
POPULATION.
EACH YEAR THEY CHOOSE THREE
MAJOR BODIES OF WATER,
ST. JOHN'S RIVER, DOCTORS LAKE
AND JEWELING TO
JEWELINGTON CREEK.
BUT THESE PALE IN COMPARISON.
>> BE AT THE COVE HANGING OUT AT
THE POINT OF THE COVE.
>> I'M HERE ON A DAILY BASIS, I
SAW SEVEN IN A FOUR HOUR PERIOD.
>> HE REMINDS ANYONE VENTURING
OUT ON TO THE WATER, YOU WISH
NEVER ALONE.
ON TOP OF HIS STAND-UP PADDLE
BOARD, WE WITNESSED A HEALTHY
ALLIGATOR POPULATION.
>> IT'S PATROLLING.
DOING THE WATCHDOG THING.
>> THIS AL2008ER 30 IT YARDS
FROM OUR KAYAK IS SIX TO TEN
FEET LONG.
WE SAW PLENTY OF THEM.
WAITING AND WATCHING.
>> ON A DAILY BASIS YOU WILL SEE
THAT OUT THERE.
THIS TIME A LITTLE MORE SO.
THEY HAVE JUST GONE THROUGH
MATING SEASON.
YOU MIGHT SEE MORE ACTIVITY THAN
USUAL.
>> I HAVE COME FACE TO FACE WITH
A GIANT BULL ALLIGATOR.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ISLAND.
WHEN THE BIOLOGISTS SURVEYED IT,
THEY COUNTED 272 ALLIGATORS WITH
THEIR OWN EYES.
THEY ESTIMATE THAT'S ONLY 14% OF
THE PARK'S TOTAL GATOR
POPULATION, AN ESTIMATED 1942
ALLIGATORS CALL THIS HOME.
>> SEEING THIS ALLIGATORS ARE
THE DINOSAURS OF THE SWAMP.
THEY HAVE HAD THOUSANDS OF YEARS
OF EVOLUTION.
THEY ARE THE APEX PREDATOR.
THEY DESERVE OUR RESPECT FOR
THAT.
>> IN THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER,
BIOLOGIST COUNTED 108
ALLIGATORS.
THAT'S ONLY 14% OF THE ESTIMATED
POPULATION.
MEANING AN ESTIMATED 771
ALLIGATORS ACTUALLY LIVE WITHIN
A 13-MILE AREA.
AT DOCTOR'S LAKE, ALONG THE
11 MILES SURVEYED, THEY ESTIMATE
70 AL2008ERS LIVE IN THESE
WATERS.
THE NUMBERS ARE IDENTICAL AT THE
CREEK FROM HIGHWAY 13 TO OLD
ST. AUGUSTINE ROAD.
>> THERE ARE A FAIR NUMBER OF
LARGE ALLIGATORS OUT HERE.
>> THEY FIGURE OUT THE IMPACT
ALLIGATOR HUNTS ARE HAVING ON
THE POPULATION.
>> WE ARE GOING TO SHINE A
SPOTLIGHT.
WE'LL SEE THE REFLECTION OF
THEIR EYES.
>> THIS WAS CONDUCTED IN CENTRAL
FLORIDA.
>> SHOULD BE FUN.
>> WHERE BIOLOGIST WRANGLE
GATORS WITH THEIR BARE HAND.
AFTER TAPING THE SNOUT, IT'S
TIME TO DIVE INTO THEIR
PAPERWORK.
THEY COLLECT BLOOD, CHECK FOR
MERCURY TO SEE HOW HEALTHY THEY
ARE.
SOME ARE WEIGHED, MEASURED AND
TAGGED.
BUT ALL ARE RETURNED TO THE
WILD.
>> THAT WAS A BIG GATOR.
>> WE WENT ON THE TRAIL WITH
OTHERS WHO KNOW NORTH FLORIDA
WATERS AS WELL.
THEY ARE NOTICING SOMETHING
ELSE, ALLIGATORS SHOWING UP
FREQUENTLY IN PLACES WHERE THEY
HAVE RARELY BEEN SEEN BEFORE,
LIKE HERE, ON THE ST. JOHN'S
RIVER.
WE ARE A MILE AWAY FROM THE
NEAREST MARCH.
THEY ARE SEEING ALLIGATORS HERE
WEEKLY.
>> I WAS AMAZED, M
MY CUSTOMER
SPOTTED AN ALLIGATOR.
>> UNUSUALLY HIGH TIDES ARE
WASHING GATORS OUT OF THE
MARSHES AND INTO THE OCEAN.
RECENT CONSTRUCTION ALONG THE
INTERCOASTAL WATER WAY IS
PLAYING A PART.
>> THEY WERE HERE BEFORE WE
WERE.
WE ARE ENCROACHING ON THEIR
HABITAT.
WE ARE GETTING LESS AND LESS
HABITAT ALONG THE SHORELINES
WHERE THEY ARE BUILDING ON THE
UPLANDS WHERE THEY LIKE TO COME
AND SUN THEMSELVES, NOW THERE IS
A HOUSE THERE.
WHERE DOES THE ALLIGATOR GO.
>> THEY ARE POPPING UP LATELY.
SHOWING UP WHEN PEOPLE ARE
MOVING IN.
THEY ARE JUST POPPING UP.
>> THIS TRAPPER HAS PULLED IN
SOME MONSTER GATORS IN HIS
CAREER, LIKE THIS HUGE REPTILE
HE CAPTURED ON JACKSONVILLE'S
NORTH SIDE.
>> THE BIGGEST ONE WAS 1'24",
ALMOST 800-POUND.
HE HAD TO GO IN WITH A FRONT END
LOADER TO PICK HIM UP.
>> HE SAYS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE,
FEEDING AN ALLIGATOR.
HE ALSO SAYS CONSTRUCTION NEAR
THEIR NATURAL HABITAT CAN CHANGE
THEIR BEHAVIOR.
>> THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE
MOVING IN RIGHT NOW.
THE HIGH TIDES, THEY ARE MOVING
OUT, THE PEOPLE ARE SEEING THEM.
BEING MORE AWARE OF WHAT
HAPPENED IN ORLANDO.
>> THERE HAVE NOT BEEN A LARGE
NUMBER OF DEADLY ATTACKS.
THE DEATH OF A TODDLER IN
ORLANDO WAS THE 24th FATAL
ATTACK OVER THE PAST 43 YEARS.
>> WHAT ABOUT OTHER ALLIGATOR
ENCOUNTERS, ANY STICKS YOU
ENCOUNTERED?
>> BETWEEN 1948 AND 2015 THERE
HAVE BEEN 126 MINOR ATTACKS AND
257 MAJOR ATTACKS WHICH RESULTED
IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THE VICTIM
BUT NOT DEATH.
WE WANT TO POINT OUT, THERE'S
NEVER BEEN AN ALLIGATOR ATTACK
ON A PERSON AT THE PARK.
INSTEAD, A HEALTHY RESPECT FOR
THEIR ENVIRONMENT TRULY DOES
EXIST.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT
A HEALTHY GATOR POPULATION
TRANSLATES TO HEALTHY RIVERS AND
HEALTHY LAKES.
>> I'M AMAZED THERE HAVEN'T BEEN
MORE ATTACKS.
>>> RIGHT NOW WE HAVE MORE TO
SHOW YOU, INCLUDING DRONE VIDEO,
AN INTERACTIVE MAP THAT SHOWS
YOU WHERE ALLIGATOR HAVE BEEN
FOUND.
HOW YOU CAN REPORT A NUISANCE