And what has been going on in my absence? Sandy Berger stuffing documents in his socks and a big alligator attack in Fort Myers! Can't I gaze upon the Hope Diamond in peace? Furthermore, why did the viewing of the National Jewel Collection trigger in myself and my sister the desire to roll in the gems and rub them on our faces? Is that normal?
In some very sad news, the Fort Myers News Press has updated their site to say that Janie Melsek, the lady attacked by the gator on Wednesday, has died in surgery this morning. I'm sorry it ended this way. I'm sure her daughter will sue the city of Sanibel for its lenient alligator policy. A nuisance alligator has to be eight-foot long before the city will remove it, whereas State law says move the nuisance ones at four-foot. My brother who surveys for a living, wants all gators over six foot to be shot. It's just too easy for them to devour you once they get that big.
I know the story has picked up unmerited national attention, but for the people who live in this area, alligator attacks are something you have to think about.
This alligator was spotted on a neighbor’s driveway on July 14 in the general area where Janie Melsek was attacked.
The 12-footer that killed Janie Melsek.
Posted by floridacracker at July 23, 2004 12:18 PMGATORS and GLOBAL WARMING?
They're definitely migrating North. Thirty years ago, you never saw 'em north of Macon GA [home of Capricorn Records,BTW]. Now they're found 80 miles north of Macon-- in sloughs off the Flint River, JUST SOUTH OF THE ATLANTA AIRPORT(that's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, the busiest airport on the planet!). The armadillos seem to be working their way up this way as well.
I wonder why???
I remember having to stop my car on a back road in Captiva one day to let an alligator cross. Its tail was on one side of the road and it's head on the other. That is a bit too big.
But even the big ones don't normally attack humans unless some idiot has been feeding them and they've overcome their fear of humans. Sigh.
Posted by: Kathy K at July 23, 2004 04:43 PMOh... and yes, I do suspect one of the people in the area probably had been feeding that gator.
Posted by: Kathy K at July 23, 2004 04:45 PMPart of the problem is that they're overprotected here in Florida. Time to bring back gator season.
And yeah, it's a good bet someone was at least feeding the ducks. Gators see you feeding ducks and in its head you become part of the food chain.
My brother had a German tourist come running up where he worked. The guy had just run over a gator and was worried about going to jail. My brother went out to see, and that gator too stretched across the entire road. Totaled the guy's rental car and it was still alive. The deputies put it down.
Posted by: Donnah at July 23, 2004 09:27 PMHow do you NOT see a 12' alligator sneaking up on you? Come on, the thing's as big as a station wagon!
It's not the alligator's fault if people are idiots. In fact, their purpose in nature is to weed the weak and feeble out of the gene pool. I feel sorry for this poor lady, but there's a word for people who go blindly prancing around alligator ponds: "LUNCH".
They don't have bells around their necks and their land speed is 30 mph. The average human runs 23 mph and the fastest sprinter 27 mph. Tell me again how they can't sneak up on you when you have your back turned?
They have many purposes in nature- eating people isn't one of them.
Posted by: Donnah at July 24, 2004 01:10 PM