After one of the wettest Octobers in years, alligators from the edge of Grassrivers are following the canals into the neighborhoods west of Vice City. POACH, the State’s wildlife agency, took more than 600 calls from Vice-Dale County in October: alligators in pools, under parked cars and, once, in the drive-through lane of a bank.
An alligator near water is normal in Leonida, and most move on by themselves. One at least four feet long in a pool, a garage, a school yard or a driveway is another matter: that is a call for the hotline, not a job for a broom.
What to do
- Stay at least 30 feet away and bring children and pets inside
- Never feed an alligator: it is illegal, and it teaches it to come back
- Keep dogs on a leash near canals and lakes, especially at dusk
- Call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline, 1-866-555-0128, day and night; in an emergency, call 911
An alligator on a golf course is just Leonida. An alligator in your garage is a phone call. Let a licensed trapper handle it, and please don’t film it from three feet away.
A trapper licensed by POACH comes to you free of charge, usually within 24 hours. The VDPD helps close the street when an alligator blocks traffic.
