85 year old woman dragged into lake by 11ft gator

[badger2]

Can Henry also go nuts, as in rabies? There is little information on neurodegeneration (aka dementia) in alligators, though West Nile virus goes to the brain:

2005 WNV Neurologic Epizootic in Alligator mississippiensis

https://15827215

 

[badger2]

West Nile virus infection in farmed American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) in Florida - PubMed

In September and October 2002, an epizootic of neurologic disease occurred at an alligator farm in Florida (USA). Three affected American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) were euthanatized and necropsied, and results confirmed infection with West Nile virus (WNV). The most significant...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Mac-7]

You have some problem with comprehension today? What part of you can't ******* read that everyone makes mistakes! That has nothing to do with this. This wasn't some small oops, this was a tragic calamity of MASSIVE STUPID IDIOTIC CARELESS BLUNDERS 6X over to fail to safeguard her own life when it EASILY could have been avoided.

This woman had no business out there. If not this, another day, she would have walking in front of a car or some other thing. Her time had come, just too bad it had to be like this.

I cant believe you have never made a mistake that could have killed you

If you have then you owe your life to dumb luck not your superior survival skills

 

[toobfreak]

I cant believe you have never made a mistake that could have killed you

I never said that. God! When did you become so ******* thickheaded! My point here is that this was way beyond a mistake. A mistake is changing lanes without looking first and hitting the car beside you or picking a fight with someone bigger than you and getting your ass kicked. But this was incomprehensibly STUPID many times over at many levels at once from the top down.

1. The lake has like a DOZEN alligators in it that sun themselves regularly, they are common knowledge there, so it isn't like people weren't already aware of the danger.
2. The alligator in question was so well known, he was named Henry.
3. Anyone in Florida should know that alligators eat pets and the place is FULL of them. How could you live there and not know.
4. Living or moving there, the propty owners have a responsibility to warn you of this that you can DIE by walking out in your backyard and have signs posted around the water reminding you to keep alert. Really, these retirement communities should be fenced off so that gators can't get into them to begin with and should be cleared of gators and routinely policed.
5. Despite all of that and much more, this woman, 85 and hobbled went for a walk with her apparently clueless dog too and chose to go where? Of all places, right up to the damn waters edge where she could have not only easily fallen in and drowned, but put her pet snack dog Munchy right at the edge just begging for a gator to come chomp it, then stood there blankly for minutes looking far away not once even checking her surroundings once despite the gator being plainly visible coming had she just looked once!

That isn't a mistake, it was a calamity of MANY egregious and foolish total blunders begging for fate proving the poor woman must have either been idiotic or senile, that even after the alligator attacked going for her dog she STILL might have lived and gotten away but instead decided it better to wrestle a 700 pound gator with her bare hands fighting it out with virtually no hope of success and she paid the price. But she saved her dog.

I mean, I love pets too but unless I was 25-30 years younger than her, I wouldn't try jumping on a 700 pound 11 foot gator trying to beat its mouth closed.

And who knows, maybe to the woman, she figured that at 85 y.o., that she valued her dog's life more than her own. We will never know. But I always thought people were supposed to get at least a smarter with experience!

 

[Mac-7]

I never said that. God! When did you become so ******* thickheaded! My point here is that this was way beyond a mistake.

It was a big mistake but even young people become complacent

And she was far from young

 

[Leo123]

A big part of the problem is giving 'cutesy' names to these predators.

 

[toobfreak]

It was a big mistake but even young people become complacent And she was far from young

Sure Mac, OK--- what would you like me to say? That these things happen? Oh well-- people of all ages make mistakes?

No doubt that is true.

My only point here was this was a very sad tragedy that should NOT have happened, if even one of a half-dozen very simple, basic, easy common-sense, reasonable things that should have happened had even taken place.

I mean, there must have been 10-12 dwellings around that lake in the immediate area--- you mean she was the ONLY person out there? There was not one person out there with the sense to warn her? If I was the woman's family, I think I'd have me a few legal questions to ask.

Then maybe there might be a bit fewer "mistakes."

 

[toobfreak]

A big part of the problem is giving 'cutesy' names to these predators.

What got me Leo was interviewing the shocked neighbors, their attitude of complacency that there were alligators all over the place all the time! Practically dripping with them and these things just never happen! The complacency that because there were these Jurassic creatures around with a biting force of one ton per square inch who love to eat pets as snacks and who have so much septic germs in their saliva that just a bite alone can kill you just from the septicemia, that they had pretty much put them out of their minds like no more than just another shrub or tree to have around! Talk about rationalization.

Alligators think nothing of grabbing a whole 1600 pound Cape Buffalo and snatching it into the water to eat!

Maybe now, people down there will start giving these things some of the respect they deserve.

 

[BS Filter]

I feel bad for her. I also feel guilty for this tragedy making me think if the song "Polk Salad Annie"....Gator got your granny, chomp chomp....

 

[Quasar44]

That would taste F gross

 

[badger2]

The slothful Florida DNR should be put on the chain gang. In the Mississippi gator-tagging video (post #137) this device is reminiscent of the Civil War era black smoke-chugging trolly that goes up the hill in Knoxville. Not surprised they planted Chinese smog-resistant ginkgos along the street there.

A small, inexpensive state-of-the-art radio device should be able to tag a gator once its caught. Since their range can be up to 35 miles, these radii must overlap, tagging starting with most population-dense ponds and lakes first.

Importantly, the anal retention of any DNR should be opposed by demanding that American citizens have the right (and means) to know when the predator is close to shore via alarms, treating this problem as if there were a child molester in the area.

 

[badger2]

What got me Leo was interviewing the shocked neighbors, their attitude of complacency that there were alligators all over the place all the time! Practically dripping with them and these things just never happen! The complacency that because there were these Jurassic creatures around with a biting force of one ton per square inch who love to eat pets as snacks and who have so much septic germs in their saliva that just a bite alone can kill you just from the septicemia, that they had pretty much put them out of their minds like no more than just another shrub or tree to have around! Talk about rationalization.

Alligators think nothing of grabbing a whole 1600 pound Cape Buffalo and snatching it into the water to eat!

Maybe now, people down there will start giving these things some of the respect they deserve.

Respect will not suffice. A tracking device to intercept the predator that thinks it can go anywhere at any time: both low IQs (and[italics]) class-difference boasting at Palm Beach).

 

[Circe]

I grew up the southwest part of the U.S. and skunks were very common, People knew they carried rabies, so don't fool around and get bit doing something stupid.
Years ago I lived and worked in the north east part of the country.
Seemed like every week in the spring and summer, there was a news story about a rabid Fox going nuts chasing people in their yard and trying to bite them.

The last one I read about here was actually a groundhog (!) -- sent the gardening woman to the hospital for days; it just wouldn't stop biting her.

 

[badger2]

The last one I read about here was actually a groundhog (!) -- sent the gardening woman to the hospital for days; it just wouldn't stop biting her.

Michigan garden 'hog. Plugged one hole, the other was noosed as the hog was forced out with flooding. Relocated it live.

 

[Circe]

Michigan garden 'hog. Plugged one hole, the other was noosed as the hog was forced out with flooding. Relocated it live.

Yeah, I believe you: they are very easy to catch. And they home, who knew: we had a nest under our living room several years ago and so my husband took to putting a Havahart trap right up against the main entrance and baiting it and they would just walk in, one after the other. I bet I let out seven groundhogs at a housing development near where I worked (far from the farm) before I suddenly woke up and thought --- wait! What have I got against these people, filling up their neighborhood with groundhogs??

I was embarrassed; we put the last few in wilder country.

But I tell you, there is NOTHING like the sound of a nest of baby groundhogs mewing right under the living room.

 

[badger2]

Yeah, I believe you: they are very easy to catch. And they home, who knew: we had a nest under our living room several years ago and so my husband took to putting a Havahart trap right up against the main entrance and baiting it and they would just walk in, one after the other. I bet I let out seven groundhogs at a housing development near where I worked (far from the farm) before I suddenly woke up and thought --- wait! What have I got against these people, filling up their neighborhood with groundhogs??

I was embarrassed; we put the last few in wilder country.

But I tell you, there is NOTHING like the sound of a nest of baby groundhogs mewing right under the living room.

Where is the recording? They will burrow to easily get to the roots of the vegetables.

 

[Moonglow]

Man oh man, that sucks!

I bet it was a thug crock.

 

[Moonglow]

One of the reasons as to why you can keep Florida to yerself.

 

[badger2]

There are both FCC and DNR problematics relating to gator tagging. How might a gator-savvy Cracker brainstorm this problem?

 

[gipper]

I never said that. God! When did you become so ******* thickheaded! My point here is that this was way beyond a mistake. A mistake is changing lanes without looking first and hitting the car beside you or picking a fight with someone bigger than you and getting your ass kicked. But this was incomprehensibly STUPID many times over at many levels at once from the top down.

1. The lake has like a DOZEN alligators in it that sun themselves regularly, they are common knowledge there, so it isn't like people weren't already aware of the danger.
2. The alligator in question was so well known, he was named Henry.
3. Anyone in Florida should know that alligators eat pets and the place is FULL of them. How could you live there and not know.
4. Living or moving there, the propty owners have a responsibility to warn you of this that you can DIE by walking out in your backyard and have signs posted around the water reminding you to keep alert. Really, these retirement communities should be fenced off so that gators can't get into them to begin with and should be cleared of gators and routinely policed.
5. Despite all of that and much more, this woman, 85 and hobbled went for a walk with her apparently clueless dog too and chose to go where? Of all places, right up to the damn waters edge where she could have not only easily fallen in and drowned, but put her pet snack dog Munchy right at the edge just begging for a gator to come chomp it, then stood there blankly for minutes looking far away not once even checking her surroundings once despite the gator being plainly visible coming had she just looked once!

That isn't a mistake, it was a calamity of MANY egregious and foolish total blunders begging for fate proving the poor woman must have either been idiotic or senile, that even after the alligator attacked going for her dog she STILL might have lived and gotten away but instead decided it better to wrestle a 700 pound gator with her bare hands fighting it out with virtually no hope of success and she paid the price. But she saved her dog.

I mean, I love pets too but unless I was 25-30 years younger than her, I wouldn't try jumping on a 700 pound 11 foot gator trying to beat its mouth closed.

And who knows, maybe to the woman, she figured that at 85 y.o., that she valued her dog's life more than her own. We will never know. But I always thought people were supposed to get at least a smarter with experience!

She made a huge mistake. Could be she had dementia and forgot the danger of gators. Anyone who’s lived in Florida near water, knows gators might be present.