Alligator – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Large alligator discovered roaming in … Idaho?

Biologists in Idaho are in possession of a fairly large alligator that was discovered by folks out walking their dog.

The unidentified “reporting party” spotted the 3-1/2-foot alligator moving through bushes adjacent to a New Plymouth-area street on Oct. 20.

The reptile was captured and placed in horse trailer. Biologists with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game picked up the alligator on Oct. 21.

Alligators prefer tropical climate and cannot survive for long in the wild in Idaho. It could be that somebody had been keeping the gator as a pet.

“In all likelihood, this alligator got loose from someone, and we are interested in finding the owner,” Matt O’Connell, Regional Conservation Officer for Idaho Fish and Game, stated in a news release.

The agency added that it’s against the law to possess alligators in Idaho without proper permits.

In the news release and on Facebook, IDFG asked that anyone with helpful information telephone the Southwest Regional Office at 208-465-8465, or the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999.

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Deputies wrestle 11-foot alligator from Florida swimming pool

An 11-foot alligator tore through the screen of a Florida home early Tuesday to access a swimming pool, prompting a call to authorities.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office shared photos via Facebook showing the 550-pound gator in the pool and being dealt with (carefully) by deputies after the reptile was removed from the water at the Deep Creek residence.

“Water Safety Month, Tip #37: Always check your pool before diving in!” The Sheriff’s Office advised.

The post continued: “A Deep Creek family was awakened by some loud noises on their lanai and came out to find this guy taking a dip in their pool. Coming in at 10’11” and weighing over 550 lbs., he tore through the screen to get to the nice, cool water.”

It was not immediately clear if the gator was relocated or euthanized.

We found the spot where a number of PGA Tour players get those unique belts

Ever wondered where players like Ian Poulter, Justin Thomas and Harold Varner III get those incredible belts?

If you’ve ever wondered where PGA Tour players get their timeless belts, we found the spot — and it’s epic. House of Fleming in Atlanta, Georgia, makes alligator belts and exotic skin accessories.

Robert Fleming Childs, known also as Gator Bob and Bobby Belts, didn’t start this business with golfers in mind, and it wasn’t until teaching professional Butch Harmon asked for a couple of belts for a student of his in 1996. That student was Tiger Woods.

Tiger Woods was the first golfer to sport House of Fleming belts and now these magnificent, handcrafted belts can be seen on players like Ian Poulter, Justin Thomas, Harold Varner III, Dustin Thomas, Shane Lowry, Phil Mickelson and in every major championship.

Justin Thomas in pink belt — Justin Thomas hits his tee shot on the seventh hole during the final round of the WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational golf tournament at TPC Southwind in a pink belt. (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

Childs didn’t come from an affluent background. It took maxing out a credit card in 1982 shopping for skins in France and a lot of hope to produce one of these belts. Childs had a vision of what his belts could be, but he never imagined they’d be worn by some of the best players in the world.

House of Fleming gets their materials imported from Italy in about every shade and finish under the sun. When you walk into the building you see exotic skins of all colors laid out and boxes of remaining skin pieces from previous projects. In addition to belts, he makes yardage books, shoes, purses, wallets, and coasters — and doesn’t say no to requests often.

Childs doesn’t spend money on marketing or trying to get his belts into top retailers across the company. His success comes from word of mouth. One of Bob’s favorite projects was when some of the 2020 Ryder Cup Team asked him to make specific Ryder Cup-themed belts as gifts for everyone.

Find out more about House of Fleming here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccx9wh4uAd2/

Four Texans cited for poaching alligator in Louisiana

Four men from Texas have been cited for their suspected roles in an alligator-poaching incident Sunday in Louisiana’s Assumption Parish.

The Louisiana Department of Fisheries and Wildlife cited the men after responding to a complaint about an alligator carcass left at a truck stop.

Agents located the alligator and discovered a bullet hole in its head. Video footage from the truck stop implicated the four men.

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The men, cited for killing an alligator out of season, were identified as Boyd Bumbera, 23, from Brookshire; Baron Vargas, 27, and Manuel Gomez, 33, from Houston, and Jesus Fajardo, 35, from Baytown.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries stated in a news release that alligator hunting in the region does not open until the last Saturday in August.

Killing an alligator during a closed season carries fines of between $400 and $950, and up to 120 days in jail. The men might also be forced to pay civil restitution totaling $375 for the “replacement value” of the alligator.

–Alligator image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Golfers make way for massive gator in ‘Jurassic Park’ moment

A number of Florida golfers ceased play briefly over the weekend to allow a giant alligator to cross the fairway.

The accompanying footage, shared to Facebook on Monday by WINK, shows the gator walking slowly across a fairway as one golfer observes that the reptile is handicapped.

“He’s missing a foot,” he says.

Matt Devitt of WINK Weather wrote on Facebook: “Check out this big boy walking across a Bonita Bay golf course this past weekend from a WINK viewer. Welcome to Jurassic Park!”

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Viewers may note that the golfers in the background, while affording the gator a wide berth, appear more interested in plotting their next shots.

Among the 300-plus comments was this from a viewer named Brandi: “I love how everyone is just going about their golf game, like there’s not a baby dinosaur walking across the course!”

A handful of comments echoed the sentiment expressed by a viewer named June: “I would give up golf for sure.”

Hunter bags 905-pound, problem-causing alligator; lively debate ensues

The hunter saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but plenty of critics voiced opposition as to the plight of the troublesome gator.

A renowned hunter from Mississippi was given a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to hunt a huge alligator that was suspected of eating livestock around a lake on private property in South Florida.

Doug Borries of Dynamic Outdoors TV, owner of nine world records and 36 state records for hunting and fishing, wound up bagging a 905-pound alligator and claimed it was the largest gator ever taken in Florida by a non-resident hunter, as reported by WXXV 25.

https://www.facebook.com/DynamicOutdoorsTV/posts/2268475133299757

The alligator measured 13 feet, 4 inches and was about a foot short of a state record, according to the Sun Herald. The longest gator captured in Florida was 14 feet, 3.5 inches, caught in Lake Washington in Brevard County. The record weight is 1,043 pounds for a 13-foot, 10.5-inch gator taken in Orange Lake in Alachua County.

“This guy said he’d seen the gator since he was a child,” Borries told WXXV in Mississippi. “It was time for the gator to go because some of the calves were disappearing. So, he was down deer hunting with me, and he asked me if I wanted to come and hunt the gator. I said, ‘Absolutely.’ To me it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Borries told the Sun Herald the meat was processed for eating and he was having a full, life-size mount made of the hide.

However, not everybody on the Dynamic Outdoors TV Facebook page was pleased with the story, many suggesting the troublesome alligator should have been trapped or sedated and relocated to a zoo or wildlife sanctuary.

“It is really sad to take the life of a creature that is part of our world,” one commenter wrote. “We need to leave nature alone, they are part of our ecosystem.”

Another wrote, “So sad. It sickens me.”

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Others defended the legal and ethical hunt Borries conducted.

“Some of these people clearly don’t understand hunting regulations or why they are necessary for a healthy animal population,” one wrote.

And yet another wrote, “It’s easy for other people to condemn another when it’s not their family or livelihood at stake.”

At last count, there were 372 comments about the story on the Dynamic Outdoors TV Facebook page.

Watch: Alligator carrying a fish in its mouth strolls across a Florida golf course

This hungry gator “played through” at Tara Golf and Country Club in Bradenton, Florida, with his next meal.

If you haven’t yet seen the video of an alligator, with a fish in its mouth, make its way across a golf course, we got you covered.

This not-quite full grown gator came out of one lake at the Tara Golf and Country Club in Bradenton, Florida, last Friday, with a pretty good sized fish in its mouth. The video, captured by Mike Murphy, who smartly and safely stayed in his golf cart, was shared with television station Fox 35.

As the gator approached a cart path, it scampered for a bit before slowing back to a stroll. it then made his way into another lake before presumably finishing his meal.

Alligators are not an uncommon site on Florida golf courses, but one carrying a fish, well, that might be a new one.

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Florida deer, alligator poaching case described as ‘shocking’

Wildlife officials in Florida have charged four people with multiple poaching-related violations after social media posts turned up “shocking” evidence against the suspects.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced Thursday that its officers obtained warrants for the suspects’ social media accounts and discovered images and videos showing illegally harvested deer and alligators from Nov. 2020 through September 2021.

The evidence helped officers determine dates and locations of the suspected poaching activities. The suspects booked into the Dixie County Jail.

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“The scope of the illegal activity is shocking and shows complete disregard for our shared natural resources,” stated Maj. Scott Lee, commander of the FWC’s North Central Region. “I appreciate the dedication of our officers for their diligence with this case in bringing these individuals to justice.”

The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for the Third Judicial Circuit.

The FWC listed the suspects’ names and the charges they face:

Jerrell Austin Clyatt Everett (DOB:08/07/2001) of Old Town, Florida:

–Five counts possession of deer in closed season 379.404(1). –Six counts possession of antlerless deer 379.404(3). –Three counts of taking/possession of alligator 379.409(1). –One count of taking deer by illegal method 68A-12.002(3)(b)2.

Kasen David Brown (DOB: 09/26/2002) of Cross City, Florida:

–Four counts of possession of deer in closed season 379.404(1). –Two counts of taking/possession of alligator 379.409(1).

Kayla Mckenzie Kline (DOB: 07/07/2003) of Old Town, Florida:

–Three counts possession of deer in closed season 379.404(1).

Keaton Aaron Brown (DOB: 07/22/2002) of Old Town, Florida:

–Three counts possession of deer in closed season 379.404(1).

–Two counts possession of antlerless deer 379.404(3).

–One count of shooting deer from roadway/right of way 68A-4.008.

–One count take deer by illegal method 68A-12.002(3)(b)2.

–One count taking deer after hours 68A-12.002(2).

–Two counts discharging firearm from roadway/right of way 790.15(1).

–One count of discharging firearm from vehicle within 1,000 feet of another person 790.15(2).

Watch: Alligator’s actions give golfers a hearty chuckle

An encounter with an alligator on a golf course in Gulfport, Mississippi, had a foursome of golfers laughing, and for good reason.

A golfer on a course in Gulfport, Mississippi, hit a ball close to a pond where an alligator was lurking nearby. The gator quickly snatched up the golf ball and returned to the pond, leaving the golfers laughing over the “lost” ball.

They were playing in a tournament at Windance Golf Course and were on the 12th hole when Keith Williams hit his ball near the pond, Victoria Williams told USA Today/For The Win.

Victoria Williams submitted the video to ViralHog on her husband’s behalf and asked, “Is this considered a drop ball now?”

In the video, shot on Oct. 9 but released last Thursday, you can hear the golfers say, “Get it Chubbs,” a reference to the alligator in the movie “Happy Gilmore.”

Also heard in the video are the golfers saying, “He ate it” and “That’s not good.”

Said one commenter on YouTube: “Thinking it’s an egg? That’s going to be disappointing!”

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As for the ruling? It’s a free drop.

The U.S. Golf Association rule book states: “Rule 16 covers when and how the player may take free relief by playing a ball from a different place, such as when there is interference by an abnormal course condition or a dangerous animal condition [italics added].”

Photo courtesy of ViralHog.

Watch: Alligator steals little boy’s catch and fishing rod

A 7-year-old boy landed a bass from shore only to experience “the one that got away” in the most shocking fashion, and dad got it on video.

A 7-year-old boy showed excellent fishing skills while landing a fish from shore in Florida only to experience “the one that got away” in the most shocking fashion.

Little Dawson was fishing with his dad, Sean McMahon, in the backyard of his Palm Coast home when he hooked a largemouth bass, as reported by FOX 35 Orlando.

The proud father videotaped the entire battle, including the surprising end, and posted it on Facebook.

“You got it buddy,” Sean McMahon can be heard coaching his son. “It’s all right buddy, keep going…You got it, you got it.”

He had it until it was stolen by a hungry alligator.

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“Dawson caught a bass tonight and out of nowhere an alligator came up, ate the bass and ripped his pole into the water,” Sean McMahon explained on Facebook.

When the gator charged out of the water, Dawson quickly dropped the fishing rod and smartly retreated to safety while his father kept taping. Sean’s surprised reaction before the tape ends: “Oh. My. God.”