“It’s not unusual to encounter an alligator on the golf course when you are playing golf in Florida but lately, there has been some remarkable alligator activity on some Florida courses,” says Dustyn Shroff, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s largest healthcare insurance agency.
Two alligators shocked golfers when they began to wrestle on the greens at the Myakka Pines Golf Club in Englewood. Golfers reported that the two gators thrashed and bit one another for at least 10 minutes before the smaller gator, estimated to be 10 feet long, limped away. The champion of the fight, Goliath has been nicknamed by locals and is known for making appearances on the golf course but has never been seen taking on another alligator.
At the Crandon Park Golf Course in Key Biscayne, a six foot crocodile ate a dog after it ran into the water. The dog was a 25 pound pit bull terrier mix, off his lease and chasing ducks and geese in the early morning hours.
Another alligator was photographed by a stunned golfer in Naples at The Golf Club at Fiddler’s Creek. The alligator was feasting on a large python.
While alligators are native to Florida, alligator attacks are rare. According to the Tampa Bay Times, no one has suffered a fatal, unprovoked alligator bite in Florida since 2007. Encouraging news, there are no documented deaths from an alligator bite to a golfer in Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, FWC reports 10 percent of all violent gator confrontations occur when golfers are trying to retrieve balls.
With an estimated 1.5 alligators populating the state, it is no wonder they can be seen lurking around golf course marsh areas and banks with heavy vegetation. “At one time, the American alligator was considered endangered but thanks to the alligator population boost, the species was removed from the endangered list,” reports Buck, from healthcare insurance provider GreatFlorida Insurance.
In order to have a peaceful co-existence between golfer and alligators, the FWC has the following recommendations:
- Never feed alligators, it is dangerous and illegal.
- Seek immediate attention if you are bitten by an alligator.
- Observe and photograph alligators from a distance.
- Pay attention to your surroundings and warning signs.
- Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn.
- Leave alligators alone, even small ones
Alligators less than four feet long are not considered dangerous. If you encounter a gator longer than four feet and posing a threat to people, property or pets, call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286). Nuisance alligators are killed not relocated.
GreatFlorida Insurance wants to help keep golfers in prime shape for the green. That can be accomplished through the high quality healthcare insurance we provide to cover well visits and injury care. Give us a call today.
