Kdeg 0 Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Are alligators a serious concern at Fort Wilderness? We are staying in a cabin the last week of August? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 There are a few in the canals, but none anywhere near the cabins Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cortezcapt (Derek) 156 Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Gators are by nature anywhere where there is water in FL. But by no means a serious concern. I have never seen one around the Fort or Bay Lake though I'm sure they are there but I'm also sure Disney does a good job of getting them out of populated areas. I know it's said about everything but in general gators gators are more scared of you then you are them. Yes they will wonder into populated areas looking for water but unless they have a nest or young they are try to protect they will leave you alone. The problem comes when people feed them and get them used to coming to people for food. They can't tell if you're holding your hand out to pet them or give them food. As a kid I swam in lake Okeechobee and never had a problem with them. I also grew up swimming in a lake that my grandmother got a 12ft alligator out of. No need to worry if you do happen to see one observe from a distance and don't feed them. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WrigleysWagon 32 Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 There was one at the marina last time we were at the fort. Not a 12 footer by any means! Wilderness staff were very quick to remove the gator and get back to business. They seem to be pretty good at dealing with wildlife issues from what I've seen. I wouldn't let it upset your trip. Have fun! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BayLake Campers 83 Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Bay lake is full of them, they stay to the uninhabited areas during the day. Take a high powered flashlight to the dam area at night and shine it out on the water, you will see hundreds of little red eyes looking back at you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Avatab.... Steve 124 Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 6 hours ago, BayLake Campers said: Bay lake is full of them, they stay to the uninhabited areas during the day. Take a high powered flashlight to the dam area at night and shine it out on the water, you will see hundreds of little red eyes looking back at you. Sounds like a good job for a Fiend-on-the-Scene to try and get a picture..... We saw a couple of little ones in the canal behind the 800-900 loops on on one of our trips. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 Gators suck. That's all you need to know. #GoDawgs Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk GradyBunch 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Retired and Happy (Ken) 101 Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 How many Fiends have actually seen a gator at the fort or bay area? We've gone for 15-16 years and never seen one. Of course I haven't gone out to the dam area at night. And of course gators may suck more in coming years with their new coach. As may the Dawgs and Gamecocks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cortezcapt (Derek) 156 Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 I have never actually seen one but I have no doubt they are there. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 1 hour ago, Retired and Happy (Ken) said: How many Fiends have actually seen a gator at the fort or bay area? We've gone for 15-16 years and never seen one. Of course I haven't gone out to the dam area at night. I've seen gators many times at the Fort- and I've got photos of them to prove it. This one is from 2014, taken near the dam in the canal behind the 300 loop: As far as whether or not I've seen gators in the "bay area," if you mean the Tampa Bay area, then yes, and big ones too. Almost every golf course around here has gators in their water features, as do most apartment complexes, condos and parks. Most of these places have signs posted warning humans to not feed or attempt to interact with the gators. Getting back to the original question, I've only seen gators at the Fort in or near the water, and never any big ones. It's not anything I've ever worried about, and certainly wouldn't worry about in a cabin loop. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 4 hours ago, Retired and Happy (Ken) said: How many Fiends have actually seen a gator at the fort or bay area? We've gone for 15-16 years and never seen one. Of course I haven't gone out to the dam area at night. And of course gators may suck more in coming years with their new coach. As may the Dawgs and Gamecocks. We have seen them in the canal behind 1500 on the majority of our visits. They are on the smallish side about 4 or 5 feet. I've seen one under the dock by the Meadow Trading Post, and I've seen one at the MK by the boardwalk by Splash Mountain. He was in the river side. Like everyone else has said, if you don't bother them, they won't bother you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigTom 76 Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 Almost every body of water in Florida, except your bathtub (do not leave door open too long), has a gator in it, they won't bother you if you don't bother them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 I've never seen one at WDW but they used to live in the drainage canal (more like a ditch) behind an apartment my brother rented in Orlando. The main thing was not letting pets outside unless you checked where the gators were and then keeping watch the whole time they were outside. We have alligators here in the coastal plain. One of our favorite state campgrounds, Merchants Millpond, has quite a few. If you want to see them it is best to go out into the swamp with a canoe as they generally stay away from the more populated areas. They are also all around the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington and can easily be seen from the deck. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cortezcapt (Derek) 156 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Almost every body of water in Florida, except your bathtub (do not leave door open too long), has a gator in it, they won't bother you if you don't bother them. We had one in our bathtub! Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigTom 76 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 9 hours ago, Cortezcapt (Derek) said: We had one in our bathtub! Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk Must have left the door open too long Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 They pulled a 9 footer out of a pool over here in Tampa yesterday. It wandered into the screen room and took a dip. They tried to get it to leave but it kept going back in, so a trapper was called. It's on its way to becoming wallets and on the menu at a few country restaurants. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigTom 76 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 We own a 40 acre block of old phosphate pits (strip mine) that we purchased in the 1950s to water our farm. I saw a gator in mid 50 that was about 6' long, saw what I think was the same gator until early 2000s and he was at least 18-20' long, couldn't get any one to get a good measurement for me for some reason. He just dissappeared, probably died of old age. We still have a few in the pits and no longer use the water so no one brothers them and I enjoy seeing them when they are swimming around. Largest one I have seen lately has bee around 10'. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Here's a link to the tiny one they caught about a month ago down around Okeechobee http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/05/us/big-alligator-in-florida-irpt/ He was only about 15 feet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigTom 76 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 7 minutes ago, Travisma said: Here's a link to the tiny one they caught about a month ago down around Okeechobee http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/05/us/big-alligator-in-florida-irpt/ He was only about 15 feet. No only do they get long, they also get wide, notice how big that one is in the article, must be at least 3-4' across, and they can run at a high speed, but only a short distance Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 39 minutes ago, BigTom said: No only do they get long, they also get wide, notice how big that one is in the article, must be at least 3-4' across, and they can run at a high speed, but only a short distance That speed is only in a straight line too so if one ever decides to chase you should run away in a zig zag pattern. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 1 hour ago, keith_h said: That speed is only in a straight line too so if one ever decides to chase you should run away in a zig zag pattern. But what happens when you zag back into the straight line the gator is travelling? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 7 minutes ago, Travisma said: But what happens when you zag back into the straight line the gator is travelling? By then you hope it has fully turned towards your new path. Of course none of this would even be a problem if people would just stay behind the fence at the gator park. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ependydad...Doug 176 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 6 hours ago, Travisma said: They pulled a 9 footer out of a pool over here in Tampa yesterday. I wandered into the screen room and took a dip. 1) I didn't know you "identify as" a gator. 2) I didn't know you were 9' tall. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AuburnJen 771 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 On 5/4/2016 at 10:26 AM, BayLake Campers said: Bay lake is full of them, they stay to the uninhabited areas during the day. Take a high powered flashlight to the dam area at night and shine it out on the water, you will see hundreds of little red eyes looking back at you. And if you listen carefully, you can hear them too. (You have to know what you are listening for though, lol) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 6 hours ago, ependydad...Doug said: 1) I didn't know you "identify as" a gator. 2) I didn't know you were 9' tall. I noticed the error just before I scrolled down to your post. Its corrected now Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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