Alligators: stalking the unwary golfer

Like something out of the movie Happy Gilmore where the handicapped pro, Chubbs, explains how he lost his right hand to an alligator in Florida while retrieving an errant golf ball, real life once again imitates art. Last week, 50-year-old golfer, Bruce Burger, was bitten on the right arm and dragged into a lake by an eleven-foot alligator as he sought to retrieve his ball at Lake Venice Golf Club in Venice. Coincidentally, reports indicate the beast had only one eye, an attribute shared with the mythical gator that removed Chubbs hand, causing him to pluck the creature's eye to escape.

Burger apparently used his left arm to free himself from the gator, prior to departing for the hospital where medical authorities indicated no serious injury. Members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission captured the gator.

Encounters between golfers and alligators in Florida are common, and attacks that were once rare may be on the rise.

A seven-foot alligator attacked Vernon Messier, 57, in February while he was collecting golf balls from ponds at the Timber Greens Golf Course in New Port Richey.

COURTESY PHOTO This big gator was found roaming the lake bank at Copperleaf Golf Club in Bonita Springs. Other golfers saw Messier in waist-deep water as the gator yanked him by his foot. The terrified man gouged at the alligator's eyes causing it to release him, allowing others to pull him to safety. Fire and Rescue responded and treated him for what authorities called minor injuries.

Florida Fish and Wildlife reports that a number of encounters between humans and alligators typically take place each summer in Florida, because alligators are most active at temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Now that temperatures in southwest Florida routinely reach 80 degrees by early morning, golfers need to appreciate the risk involved in searching for lost balls along the water's edge.

Encounters between humans and alligators frequently occur because the gators associate humans with food. That is, they are conditioned when humans feed them, causing a greater potential for conflict in the future. On occasion, I have seen construction workers in new golf communities tossing lunch refuse at the reptiles, along with uninformed community residents feeding the predators while observing them. Feeding Florida alligators is a crime punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Most of the problems, authorities agree, stems from tourists, visiting workers, and some residents feeding the alligators, a habit that encourages aggressive behavior. Some common sense safety rules regarding alligators can be found on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website at myfwc.om/gators/faq/lwa.htm. Those specifically applying to golfers and their family members include:

+ Be aware of the possibility of alligator attacks when in or near fresh or brackish water bodies. Attacks may occur when people do not pay close enough attention to their surroundings when working or recreating near water.

+ Closely supervise children when they are playing in or around water. Never allow small children to play unsupervised near water.

+ Leave alligators alone. State law prohibits killing, harassing or possession of alligators.

+ Never feed or entice alligators - it's dangerous and illegal. When fed, alligators overcome their natural wariness and learn to associate people with food.

+ Inform others that feeding alligators is illegal and creates problems for others who want to use the water for recreational purposes.

+ Seek immediate medical attention if bitten by an alligator. Alligator bites often result in serious infection.

Lastly, The Villages Country Club Administration spokesman Tony Simpson said it best, following an attack on one of their residents by a six-foot alligator at this popular golf community in central Florida in May. "The incident illustrates that golfers, need to use common sense around local waterways. It's a good example of why not to go looking for golf balls," he said. n

Report a gator

>>If you encounter an alligator over four feet in length that poses a threat to humans or property, call 1-866-FWC-GATOR (392-4286). The FWC will evaluate your complaint, and if necessary send a registered trapper to remove the alligator.