Alligator attacks: How to avoid the reptiles, stay safe around the water

The horrific death of Lane Graves, a 2-year-old Nebraska boy snatched off a Disney World beach by an alligator, has raised questions about safety around the water.

In Alabama, alligators are mostly found in the coastal and inland waters of the Mobile Delta but have been reported as far north as the Tennessee and Elk Rivers. In 1995, as many as 50 American alligators were released in the Alabama portion of the Tennessee River in an effort to keep the beaver population under control.

Be careful what you wish for?  Apparently they brought in alligators to kill the beavers and then they ate all their cats. Sad face. I always suspected beavers had something to do with the arrival of alligators. Although beavers do thrive in gaitor habitat, so maybe someone someday could explain to me how that happens?

Well, so much for Alabama and beavers. I got excited when I saw this quote from Texas.

 “Just as snakes and insects, beavers are also important for our county ecology.“

I’m not going to tell you why though, I’m just going to tell you how to kill them.

Agrilife: Controlling Beaver Damage

According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension information, most of the damage caused by beavers is the result of bank burrowing, dam building, tree cut­ting or flooding. Levees or pond dams weakened by beaver burrows may collapse during periods of high water. If creeks, drainage ditches, culverts and spillways become blocked by beaver dams, adjacent pasture land, timberland and roadways can be damaged by flooding and erosion. Beavers can damage boat docks and fishing piers by build­ing their lodges underneath them. Beavers also can cause extensive damage to agricultural crops such as corn or sugar cane, although their damage is more commonly inflicted on trees along rivers, streams and lakes. In urban areas, beavers dam­age fruit trees, gardens and ornamental trees Beaver control is best accomplished as soon as there is evidence of beaver damage.

Once beaver colonies become established over a large area, controlling them can be diffi­cult and costly. Fencing of culverts, drain pipes or other structures can sometimes prevent damage; however, beavers often simply incorporate the fence into their dam. Fencing lakes and ponds to exclude beavers is generally not practical. Barriers of sheet metal or hardware cloth placed around the bases of valuable trees may help prevent damage. The bar­rier should extend from ground level to a height of about 4 feet. A variety of traps and trapping methods is effective in controlling beavers. Live traps, leg­hold traps, conibear traps and snares can be used. The effectiveness of any trap is determined by a person’s knowledge of beaver habits, as well as proper trap selection and placement. Beavers are classified as furbearers in Texas, but it is legal to trap them. Under state law, a per­son may trap a furbearing animal at any time if it is causing damage; however, the pelt can be sold only during furbearer season and with the proper licenses.

That’s right, beavers, like snakes and fire ants, have a mysterious ecological role to play. You won’t read about it here though, during the floods or doing the drought that’s coming next. I’m a vet and not an ecologist so I have NO idea how flow devices worked. And we’re sure relieved to learn that beavers are considered fur-bearers in Texas. Sometimes you guys ain’t all that bright, and I thought you might have catagorized them as amphibians!

Lets end with a lovely photo of the first family enjoying the outdoors in Yosemite.

I was especially struck by this quote he delivered in the park, can you spot what is clearly an obvious typo?

“The first time i saw a bear and her cub. That changes you. You’re not the same after that. And I want to make sure every kid feels that.” –President Obama