Gator attack at lunch. lots of spacing to read post w/out pic

[attackturtle]

picture not really graphic but I didn't want to offend anybody so lots of spacing below

So my wife and I were eating lunch together at our pond like we do everyday when this gator came out of nowhere and takes a goose next to us. The other geese were pissed. He was around 4 ft long. We have seen him around the pond before. I was a few feet away (3-4) from him when I took the picture. It was pretty sad We didn't bother him. No reason to interfere and there was no saving that goose. My wife was upset. She gets sad when she thinks an animal is scared. I'm pretty understanding about things like this and don't get excited but its different to be there. I felt bad for the goose but I don't think it suffered too much. I'm sure it was in shock. People who go into shock don't feel or remember much. Shock is natures way to show mercy.




*




*




*





*





*





*




*



*





*






*




*

 

[Nanci]

Gators gotta eat...I just don't feel as badly for fish! I'd think it would be very difficult to sneak up on a goose.

 

[wstphal]

The picture isn't graphic in my eyes, and I'm impressed how stealthy gators can be, because sneaking up on a goose isn't likely to be easy! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Butch]

Great picture, to see a gator hit prey in the open like that is truly spectacular, the power they have is second to none. I was in the marsh one day watching a small group of hogs work their way down the edge of a gator hole towards my boat one hunting season, a small 30 pounder closest to the water was paying attention just rootin around when a 7 footer lunged and took him down, it happen in mear seconds only to leave the rest of the hogs scattering for the closest cover. He may of ruined my hunt that evening but it's something I'll never forget.

On a separate note don't hesitate to have the gator moved if y'all are getting within 10 foot of him, he's lost his natural fear and that's the second worst thing that can be done to him besides being feed, especially if y'all are in a residential area.

 

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Wow, scary. Animals don't usually bother me but gators are terrifying to me for some reason. Probably because they're so fast and powerful and stealthy... not a combination I want to mess with.

 

[wstphal]

On a separate note don't hesitate to have the gator moved if y'all are getting within 10 foot of him, he's lost his natural fear and that's the second worst thing that can be done to him besides being feed, especially if y'all are in a residential area.

Yeah, and people feed them anyway! My dad worked at the Bay Pines VA Hospital (Pinellas County FL) in the 1960s, and the building backed out onto basically undeveloped land, with gators. Employees and ambulatory patients had trained any number of gators to come right up to the building to get their handouts. It's a wonder nobody died as a result.

 

[attackturtle]

I considered turning him in to the nuisance gator hot-line but I cant say he is a nuisance. We have seen him before on many occasions and he is always on the other side of the pond, far from people. I think he came over for the geese. When I walked up to him, he became upset and swam far away.

The geese were playing "tag" and were pretty distracted. They should have migrated by now so they had it commin.

 

[Butch]

Bump...

A friend took this picture today while running the river, the gator is actually holding the deer carcass on the river bottom even though you can't see him. They figured the doe had been killed a little time back and he pulled it out from hiding to eat, he had it on the bank when they rounded the corner and he pulled it back to the shallows to keep outta of sight.