Experts warn of active alligator season after North Fort Myers attack

SANIBEL, Fla. (WINK) — After a string of recent alligator attacks across Florida, including a North Fort Myers man who survived being dragged into a canal while fishing, Sanibel officials and wildlife experts are reminding people that awareness is one of the best ways to avoid a dangerous encounter.

“This time of year is particularly important for alligator awareness,” the City of Sanibel said in recent safety messaging. “Residents and visitors may notice increased alligator movement near ponds, canals, golf courses, roadways and other bodies of water.”

According to the city, spring and early summer mark the peak of alligator mating season. As temperatures rise, alligators become more active while searching for mates, establishing territory and protecting nests.

Chris Lechowicz, director of wildlife and habitat management for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, said those seasonal changes naturally lead to more sightings.

“We are in the breeding season right now,” Lechowicz said. “Female alligators protect their nests, and after the hatchlings hatch, they protect their young as well. Alligators can also become very territorial at this time of year.”

Lechowicz said that while recent attacks have drawn attention, they remain uncommon.

“They estimate that there’s between 1.3 and 2 million alligators in the state, so they’re in most water bodies,” Lechowicz said. 

“Most of the time, a normal wild alligator, if it sees a human being, especially an adult human being, they normally swim away.”

Instead of avoiding Florida’s waterways altogether, Lechowicz said people should learn how to safely share the environment with alligators.

“When you approach a body of water in Florida, you always have to be aware,” Lechowicz said. “We are in their environment, and we share the space with them.”

City officials recommend assuming any freshwater pond, canal or lake could contain an alligator. They urge residents and visitors to keep children and pets away from the water’s edge, avoid swimming in freshwater, especially around dawn and dusk, and never feed alligators.

Officials say feeding alligators is illegal and dangerous because it teaches the animals to associate people with food, causing them to lose their natural fear of humans.

Longtime Sanibel residents say those reminders are important, especially with so many visitors coming to Southwest Florida each year.

“In Florida, if there’s water, there’s likely a gator in it,” Sanibel resident Vera Neinast said. “You just have to be very careful. You learn to have a healthy respect for gators.”

Patricia Palza, another Sanibel resident, said seeing an alligator is simply part of living in Florida, but people should remember they are wild animals.

“If you see an alligator in its natural habitat, you can look at it, but keep walking,” Palza said. “Don’t linger around the water.”

Sanibel’s emphasis on alligator safety has developed over many years. In 2004, landscaper Janie Melsek was attacked while working near a pond on the island. 

The incident remains one of the community’s most well-known wildlife encounters. More than a decade later, Sanibel police also responded to an aggressive alligator in a residential neighborhood, reinforcing the city’s focus on educating the public about safely living alongside wildlife.

Sanibel Police say they evaluate every alligator complaint individually. Aggressive nuisance alligators may be referred to state-authorized trappers for removal, while smaller, non-aggressive alligators may be relocated when appropriate.

Lechowicz said the goal isn’t to make people afraid of alligators, but to understand how they behave and take simple precautions.

“Attacks are very, very rare,” Lechowicz said. “You can lower those odds by not swimming at dusk and dawn and by avoiding areas where you know alligators are during breeding and nesting season.”