700-Pound Alligator Pulled From Fla. Canal

[The Straight Story]

700-Pound Alligator Pulled From Fla. Canal
Report: 'Biggest Alligator Ever Caught In Miami-Dade County'

POSTED: 9:20 am EDT May 18, 2006
UPDATED: 11:56 am EDT May 18, 2006



A giant 700-pound, 12-foot-long alligator was captured and pulled from a Florida canal after fearful residents called for help, according to a Local 6 News report.


A crane and several men were needed to lift the alligator out of the canal located near Northwest 41st Street in Doral, Fla.

Local 6 News showed video of a large crowd of people watching crews attempting to move the 700-pound alligator onto a truck.

http://www.local6.com/news/9237092/detail.html

[Julius Civitatus]

1. Jurassic Park in FL

Daaaamn!

[marmar]

8. And you're not just talking about the average age of Fla.'s residents!

:hide:

[riona]

16. No, it's our average weight

We like buffets.

[Sanity Claws]

21. Early bird buffets, especially

This way Floridians can snack all evening long on chips and soda while watching American Idol.

[riona]

26. Absolutely

and as you can see (and heard on the news), we've been fattening up the alligators lately.

[wtmusic]

2. Here boy...Crocky want a bone?

:scared:

[TallahasseeGrannie]

3. Mother of God

I mean...the gator is not the mother of God... but..

you know what I mean

[Maddy McCall]

19. LOL.

Grannie, you be careful down there in Florida. :D

You're response gave me my first DU laugh of the day. :rofl:

[neoblues]

4. Inside they found...

- a Volkswagen
- a concrete park bench
- a number of missing pets
- two turtle doves and a partridge AND it's pear tree

[ChiciB1]

11. Cute! I Have Seen Some Huge Alligators Here In Florida....

but this baby tops them all! We have a place in Hernando, Fl on the lake and we've called the locals 4 times to come out and get big gators. They pop them and I guess sell the meat.

It's my mother-in-laws place and she lives with us now so we don't go up there as much as before, but they do have their share alligators. I remember a long time ago they put a ban on gator hunting because there were so few, guess they re-populated in a big way!

[MercutioATC]

28. You forgot Poland!

:P

[Richard Steele]

45. That gator is as big as Colbert's balls!

[Road Scholar]

63. LOL.Good one! nt

[don954]

5. holy crap!

im never going to look at the canal that is next to my back yard the same again...

[magellan]

6. They didn't kill it, did they?

The article implies they're only moving it. I don't like these suckers one bit but it would seem a terrible shame to destroy it.

[The Straight Story]

9. They are using it to make a belt for rove's huge ass....(nt)

[brentspeak]

53. ...

:thumbsup:

[rpgamerd00d]

10. pic shows duct tape around its mouth, I doubt they'd do that if its dead

[ChiciB1]

13. I Think They Do Kill Them....

The ones we've called about have all been popped!

This one might be put on display somewhere though.

[NorthernSpy]

17. but this one is a marvel!

They say it's the biggest one ever caught in Miami-Dade county.

That has to count for something, right?

[ChiciB1]

25. Yes, It Does... And I Will Say We Called On One That Went 10 Ft.

but didn't weigh anywhere NEAR 700 lbs. Maybe he did eat a Volkswagen. I don't think I've EVER seen one this huge! I can't remember the weight of the 10 footer, but I know it wasn't close to 700 lbs. After they popped him 3 guys picked it up, so that says something.

There have been stories about some gator deaths in that part of Florida recently, I presume this is the culprit. I'll have to check local news tonight.

[NorthernSpy]

15. I think they relocate them to remote areas...

... unless they've been implicated in fatal attacks on humans (the 700-pounder isn't thought to have preyed upon people).

[Critters2]

62. And then they build suburbs in those remote areas,

and start bitching when they see alligators. Then they move them to remote areas, and then...

[theHandpuppet]

65. According to a news report I saw last night they ARE killed

The gators now being caught ARE being killed "as a precaution" and the gator hunting season has officially been started early. Seems a shame to kill an animal just for what it is. But hey, gotta keep those developments coming! :sarcasm:

[The Deacon]

20. The hunters

usually come out at night if they're going to kill it. My wife's aquarium here in Georgia should probably put in a bid on it - our largest gator there (native born) is only about nine feet.

[NorthernSpy]

24. good idea -- have the aquarium offer it a home

This alligator must live. Its unusualness entitles it to special consideration, in my opinion.

They should relocate the gator to somewhere nice and see how much bigger it can get.

[ChiciB1]

31. Giggin' Is A Big Sport... And Gator Tail Is Popular In Restaurants!

So is conch, YUK! I would think this guy might be a bit too tough to eat!

We used to go skin diving a lot and my husband popped an 800 lb. grouper once and we gave it to a local church. THEY ate it, but we wouldn't because they say the bigger the fish the stronger the taste. I don't like heavy fish!

[RebelOne]

54. I've eating alligator tail at the Miccosuki reservation

down in the glades. Sort of tastes like chicken.

[ChiciB1]

64. Funny! They Say The Same Thing About Rattle Snake...

While I'm not proud of it, I've eaten armadillo too! I used to live in Texas and the Bar-B-Que it.

I've been through the Glades many many times on our way to Marathon for LOBSTER season! Just never could do the gator thing OR CONCH! I actually ordered conch chowder once, but couldn't eat it.

Before it was illegal we used to scarf up on lots of conch and people down there went crazy for the stuff. We liked the shell! Can't do that anymore from what I hear. I also got "burned out" on lobster too, but THAT I did eat!

Not a vegan, but rarely eat meat anymore. I like Hog Snapper though.

[Malikshah]

29. I'm from SFl and saw the news-- the trapper's donating it to

a local Alligator park.

One's that are suspected of attacks/deaths are killed for investigatory reasons (that's how they knew that one of the recent ones had killed that poor woman)


This trapper is all over the news now.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-518greenmonster,0,3846418.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

A week after an alligator killed a woman in Sunrise, a trapper in this Miami-Dade city captured an alligator that weighs between 500 and 700 pounds Wednesday afternoon, news partner NBC 6 reported.

Trapper Todd Hardwick, of Pesky Critters, was called to an industrial area at about noon. He thought he was looking for a 6-foot gator, but it turned out to be almost double the size.



LocalLinks
It took Hardwick three hours to capture the alligator, which at almost 12 feet long is the biggest gator caught this season.

[ChiciB1]

33. Weren't There At Least 3 Deaths??? ...n/t

[magellan]

51. Thanks for the info.

:)

[lastliberalintexas]

32. It's probably going to a theme park of some sort

Our area "boasts" Gator Country where a 12 or 13 foot gator lives. His name is of course Big Al. Oh, the creativity! :)

http://print.theexaminer.com/files/03172006/Page%20C02.pdf

[Dr.Phool]

37. I think anything over 6-7 feet is destroyed.

They took one off the golf course around the corner from my house, that was bigger than that last week. He just laid around sunning himself by the 3rd hole. Didn't bother anyone.

But there is an 11 foot female on the 6th hole, he was wandering over to visit, and made the neighbors nervous.

[northzax]

7. how many wallets and belts is that?

after you subtract the handbags, of course.

[raccoon]

12. Feed Rush Limbaugh to him! nt

[Ganja Ninja]

27. Hide it in the bushes a Rush's house and ...

leave a trail of oxycontin tabs running to it.

[raccoon]

39. That'd work! nt

[Cleita]

14. Katherine Harris looks really bad without her makeup.

:rofl:

[DS1]

18. Don't worry, it's not feeling any pain at all. In fact, it's impossible

for anything living in Florida water to feel any pain, thanks to Rush Limbough pissing about a metric ton of Oxycontin through the treatment system. :-)

[Maddy McCall]

22. Barf!

Remind me to carry bottled water next time I visit Florida. :(

[Ganja Ninja]

23. That is a monster! n/t

[RubyDuby in GA]

30. Perhaps if developers didn't keep building in THEIR habitats, there

wouldn't be so many attacks.

It always amazes me when people go into a very large animals/predators natural habitat then get surprised when said people are attacked. Bears attacking people in cities...well, their forests are being chopped down at an alarming rate.

I am by no means saying that it's a great thing that alligators are attacking people, but people need to quit being surprised about this. Their natural habitats are being destroyed at an alarming rate and they're just doing what comes naturally to them.

[The Straight Story]

34. It's because animals have no immigration policy to stop us

:evilgrin:

[ChiciB1]

35. I've Been Saying Stuff Like This For Years....

And the same thing when you hear about all the bears and other animals roaming in towns around the nation.

HEY, They Were Here First! But this gator needed to be removed from where he was, I hope they didn't kill him/her. What is the sex?? I could NEVER be around when they killed the ones we found.

[lastliberalintexas]

36. Yes, though at least alligators have made a tremendous

comeback from being hunted to near extinction. I cringe everytime I hear of a mountain lion hurting or killing someone out west, because I know it will mean another cat's death (*at least* one). And we really don't have any big cats to spare. :(


(yes, I feel sad for the human victim too)

[The Deacon]

38. Yep

down here in beautiful SOWEGA (South West Georgia to all you Northern Pointy-headed Libruls) they're starting to show up in some of the new subdivisions' "Ornamental Ponds." You drain the swamp, you're ass-deep in alligators, folks.

[ChiciB1]

41. I Think that's Because They Sell Them As Pets In Stores Down Here!

I never felt this was a very good idea. I think that's how they got to exas too!

[ChiciB1]

42. One More Thing...

Florida isn't exactly "pointy-ass librul" Ya Know?? Care to venture a guess at to who MY representative is??

Are you "lurking" here?

[tenshi816]

44. Carl Hiassen's been warning about this for years

in his novels. The books may be fiction but the man knows Florida, and what happens when a habitat is sytematically raped.

On a happier subject, when is Carter Dean expected to be born? Inquiring minds want to know! Hope you're feeling well and that everything goes according to plan.

[RubyDuby in GA]

47. Well hey there!

Carter Dean is right on schedule (we're at 36 weeks now) and according to yesterday's doctor's visit, he's quite comfy in there and taking his own time. He's in position, so he can come when he wants to, but if he's anything like his dad, he'll be late (daddy was born three weeks late and hasn't been on time since) :) Mommy, on the other hand, was two weeks early and she's more than ready for him to vacate the premises!

:hi:

[tenshi816]

55. Oh, Lord, I know what you mean about that.

By the end of my pregnancies, I felt like I was walking around (or waddling around, more like) trying to keep a basketball from falling out, the pressure was so intense.

I had major complications with my younger son (placenta previa) and went into the hospital at 29 weeks, where I stayed until they delivered him at 36 weeks. I think I'd have gone completely insane if I'd had to go full term.

Keep well, RubyD, and keep us posted!

[brentspeak]

56. NJ has a similar problem with deer ending up in the suburbs

All these condos and townhouses and other development have pushed the deer population out of their natural habitat and into towns. I do not enjoy driving along the Garden State Parkway south of exit 100 at night knowing that my chances of colliding with a deer are maybe 50:1.

[SoCalDem]

60. Amen.. and we chase away their natural prey too

so of course they adapt.. I am not saying they are hunting humans, but they are oppportunistic hunters, so....

When I was a kid, the jungle was right across the street, and we all knew better than to allow a pet to be outside after dark...same for kids.. (of course our parents never knew that we DID sneak into the jungle for adventures...) Other than scaring ourselves by getting lost for a while or seeing a reallllly BIG snake or two, we came out unscathed:)

[ChiciB1]

66. Just Saw This Post... We Are Warned All The Time to Keep

our dogs away from canals and lakes. I knew gators would eat them, but didn't think they would eat the big ones. I have a chocolate lab and have some acreage down in North Port, FL across the street from a canal.

BTW, the property is FOR SALE!!! Five acres of PRIME land, very very nice, high and dry with lots of trees!

Just couldn't help myself... we decided we are going to need the money because of this crappy economy that's so good!!!

[lpbk2713]

40. A giant amphibian is loose on the streets of Tokyo.

(This just in from CNN)


It's just a matter of time before the entire city is destroyed.

[RebelOne]

43. When I lived in South Florida, my apartment was 5 blocks

from where that alligator was captured.

[savemefromdumbya]

46. What were they feeding it or did they manip the genes

[The Straight Story]

49. We been feeding em repubs - since they are so full of shit they weigh more

:)

[savemefromdumbya]

50. Perfect!

[porphyrian]

48. That's a big ass poodle remover. - n/t

[LuCifer]

52. how much you wanna bet that...

sucker grew up around Turkey Point, ya know, the NUKE PLANT!

[brentspeak]

57. Maybe this gator was an extra for the film...

[arwalden]

58. How Far Away BEHIND The Gator Are Those People?

I think the perspective of that photo is deceptive.

[devilgrrl]

59. And?

:shrug:

So fucking what?

[shance]

61. Poor guy.

Some humans just can't leave nature alone can they?