Man killed by alligator in Miami-Dade retention pond

[VARNYARD]

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MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. -- A man who allegedly was fleeing police was attacked and killed by an alligator in a pond, Local 10 reported.

Miccosukee police, assisted by Sweetwater canine units, responded to a call on the Miccosukee Indian Reservation about vehicles being broken into.

Local 10's Todd Tongen said police captured one man, but another fled on foot and dove into a retention pond. Signs warned of the danger of live alligators in the pond behind the casino and hotel.


Eyewitnesses said they were shouting to the man to swim back to shore. When the man finally spotted the alligator, eyewitnesses said he screamed but then disappeared under the water.

The alligator and another smaller one were later trapped and brought to All American Gator in Pembroke Park.

Local 10 learned the larger alligator was well known on the reservation and employees had nicknamed it Poncho.

If an alligator either digests or kills a person it's a state law through Florida Fish and Wildlife that it be destroyed, so the alligator will be put in an incinerator or be buried, Tongen reported.

All American Gator Owner Brian Wood said he's been told to keep the alligator in storage until the Miami-Dade medical examiner can inspect the reptile.

"Some gators have a nasty disposition and he was a nasty gator. He seemed to have no fear of people which indicates that he was fed," said Wood.

The body was recovered Friday by divers 50 feet below at the bottom of the lake.

Local 10 learned the man was bitten on the head several times. Miccosukee police issued a no comment statement when Local 10 inquired about the victim's identity.

 

[ApriliaRufo]

That's BULL. Welcome to the planet people. WE DO NOT OWN IT!! This kinda stuff drives me crazy! If someone gets killed by a wild animal, society takes the step to kill it and it's asinine. When does it stop? When do humans realize that we are not the only species on the planet, nor are we physically superior to many? Again, I'm sorry if I sound mean, but I side with the reptile. This is the way life goes. People make the decision to put themselves in dangerous situations. If a person jumps onto a private race track and gets hit by a car at 140mph, is it the driver who should be prosecuted and killed? NO. If a person owns hots, I GUARANTEE that if he is bit and told he WILL die, he will refuse to agree with the decision for the hot to be killed. We all take the chance owning reptiles. We know that a Nile could tail whip your cat into oblivion and NO, we do not blame the Nile. If you do, you're an idiot. Anyone see Anaconda the movie? Other herpers, did you side with the snake? You bet your culo you did! It's time for people to stop disturbing the world's animals and trying to play god. Whether you believe in god or not is unimportant, the issue is that we cannot "shape" the planet into a pretty little suburbia where the animals are the cute and cuddly ones that society deems acceptable. I took my BP to the mall yesterday and tons of people jumped away, yelled, screamed, and cussed me out for a harmless animal, but I will bet dollars to doughnuts, that if I walked in with a tiny yipping, peeing, shiverring Chihuahua, I would have people petting and talking to me everywhere I went. Society is a mess and I'm sick of human stigmas!

 

[hoosier]

this is why i am ashamed of the human race. people think they can do what ever they deem right to make the world "a better place" thats just WRONG! we put murderers in prison for a while but if an animal attacts anyone then they destroy it. seem fair to you? plus there was a sign that clearly said ther were gators in that pond and still he drove into it. i consider that sucuide. that would be like someone stabbing themselves and their family suing the knife company. it was just a predator that was hungry and being an opertunist desided to take advantage of the situation. tough luck for the guy but thats just how life goes. sory if i too sound mean but i dont find this the least bit fair. plus what if it wasnt that gator who did it? what happened if it was another? will they kill that one too? if so then that was just a waste of a life.

 

[teguboy77]

Always killing the damn poor animal,stupied law.That guy deserved what he got,like somebody already said people always put themselves in harms way.And i hate that. :x

 

[VARNYARD]

I agree guys; last year they killed a 11 footer here. His problem is tourists fed him; he lost his fear of humans and was then seen as a threat.

 

[hoosier]

i know some people that can be seen as a threat but they dont put them down. :evil:

 

[ApriliaRufo]

I agree guys; last year they killed a 11 footer here. His problem is tourists fed him; he lost his fear of humans and was then seen as a threat.

Every animal should be seen as a possible threat. I'm glad you're with me Bobby. It's just sad that humans believe that they will rule the planet and only animals that serve human purposes have a right to live. What is your favorite breed of dog? Is it deemed acceptable by society? Do you accept the possibility of the dog trying to establish dominance over your family? Do you accept the fact that if he choses, that he could tear you to shreds? It's as simple as dogs and societal acceptance. Pugs were used for protection, chihuahuas were fought, terriers, and small breed dogs were specifically and selectively bred to kill small animals that invaded human property. So how can society sit there and tell me that my first gen timber/malamute cross is illegal, dangerous, and should not be kept? Who are we to determine what animals have the right to live? Has the human race delved into such a deep set of hypocrasy that we challenge Hitler's mindset, and then follow his policy?

 

[olympus]

I think that the alligator was on the police payrole. Seriously though I agree animals should not be punished for responding to natural instincts.

 

[KoreanDeathKid]

just another useless reason why wild animals or any other exotic pets should not be kept, wut a piece of crap, humans don't realise what we are doing wrong on earth, and i don't think it will be any time soon they are going to realise it
i sometimes do look like this when i read an article like this :evil:

 

[ApriliaRufo]

just another useless reason why wild animals or any other exotic pets should not be kept, wut a piece of crap, humans don't realise what we are doing wrong on earth, and i don't think it will be any time soon they are going to realise it
i sometimes do look like this when i read an article like this :evil:

That wasn't my point in the slightest. I believe people can keep whatever pet they want. It's as simple as that. The point is that owners take a risk. That's not a bad thing, that's a fact that I enjoy. We all take a risk owning large reptiles. My point was that people must be more educated, and putting the animal down is WRONG. It's the same as stupid people who put their border collie down or throw him away because he bites the kids ankles. That's what he's supposed to do!! He's a herder! And if the kids won't get into a group, he's gonna make them! It's not the dogs fault and that owner isn't the correct owner for the dog. The dog did no wrong, the owner did the wrong by getting an animal they shouldn't have. Don't directly corrolate this with the ali. His owners or whoever was in charge of him was fine. The idiot who decided to run into his pond suffered the consequences and deserved it. The sign says on my front window. BEWARE of trained protection dog, large snakes, and dangerous lizards. If you break into my house, the Doberman kills you, and the lizards pick you apart. I am not responsible and NEITHER are the animals! That's their job! They are my animals, and no one has a right to put them down. I don't wave just the American flag in front of my house. This is my flag. It is plain and simple.

 

[KoreanDeathKid]

i meant that it just gives another people that has no idea about some animals, a reason why WE shouldn't keep animals like reptiles as we want
it's ture that animals only respond to their natural instincts, and humans should learn to respect that
that was my point

 

[VARNYARD]

The 11 footer was not responding to natural instincts, his natural instinct is to avoid humans. It is only after they are fed by people that they loose thier fear of us. I have lived in Florida most of my life, natural wild gators avoid humans. The 11 footer lived in a local state park (St. Andrews State park), in a lake named gator lake.

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[ApriliaRufo]

I just needed to post to clarify, I'm sorry if you guys feel this is a wasted post, but sometimes I use phrases and sarcasm because I don't type when I'm at work. I use dragon Natural Speaking dictation software and it cannot type tone of voice. I did not mean for that to sound harsh or sarcastic or anything to you DeathKid. I was just explaining that I'm sick of animals being put down for innappropriate reasons. If your pitbull tears you to shreds, I believe that's a problem, but in most cases, the animals isn't really a threat, it's just instinctive. Now for Bobby, I see that situation as bad news. Aligators are a tough call. I don't believe that is an animal that should be in captivity, whatever that captivity may be. They ignore humans which is the best possible solution. Alis should be observed from a distance and left to their natural instincts. Feeding them is not only stupid, but counter productive. I completely agree with you, the animal shouldn't be put down, but it's the "captors" fault for allowing it to be so socialized that it couldn't hold it's own in the wild.

 

[DZLife]

I was going to say something, but I believe ApriliaRufo pretty much hit the nail on the head.

 

[KoreanDeathKid]

ApriliaRufo, you're not the only one here that's getting sick of those animals being put down by humans

 

[ApriliaRufo]

ApriliaRufo, you're not the only one here that's getting sick of those animals being put down by humans

Huh? What's that in reference to?